The Legend of Zelda: Hylian Hearts
by R.J.Thor
Summary: The hero is defeated yet his spirit remains strong! Damaged but strong, in need of healing but able to help others heal themselves! In an adventure to restore the purity of heart in Hyrule, Link finds himself in an entirely new land unlike any the Legend has ever known before. Written as though you are playing; this story might be a little unbearable. Brace yourself.
1. Chapter 1: The Hero is Felled

**The****Legend****of****Zelda:  
Hylian****Hearts**

_**Chapter I: The Hero is Felled**_

* * *

_We begin this story late in Hyrule's history, during the Ocarina of Time; during an unusual sequence of events alternative to those which took place in the game._

* * *

A peaceful day in the life of a Hylian Hunter; surrounded by fat trees in front of an ancient and abandoned forest temple, lazily laying in a meadow clearing with his horse grazing nearby. Clad in a traditional Hunter's green Tunic, 3 empty bottles tied to his belt and a fourth, with a blue liquid inside. Bow and quiver lain against a small stump, sturdy Hylian shield face up in the grass beside him; a sudden and unexpected, small but loud voice calls out from the ether, "Link!".

The Hunter's eyes snap open at the sound as he sits up to locate the direction it came from. "Link! Link, we need your help!" He couldn't see anyone, and Epona seemed entirely unphased. 'Am I hearing things?' he wondered silently, cupping an ear and cocking his head. "Link! The Goddesses beckon us, please hurry to Hyrule castle! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, you _must_ make haste!"

It felt unreal, but the feel; the _feel_ of her words convinced him to listen, and obey. Grabbing the Shield, he then hopped to his feet and scooped up the Bow and Quiver in one motion, then whistled sharply for Epona. Mounting his horse, he looked back at the stump briefly, equipping the Quiver and stowing his Bow with it, "H'yeah!" before quickly riding off; forgotten memories suddenly flooding his mind.

A flash in his memories causes him to falter, briefly losing balance.

The forest was thin where he had made his day rest area, but quickly thickened as he rode into the shadows of the Lost Woods. "H'yeah!" Faster, hoping he was fast enough! The feel of her words... as if shot in the heart by an Arrow. "H'yeah, yah!" Seeping images and memories come flowing out of him like life essence; impacting his heart with feelings of guilt, confusing his memories of the Hunter's life. Eternally young children... no, friends...? He rode hard and fast, through a giant hollow log, past a curious, masked, Skull-Kid, out of the forest edges, into the vast open fields of Hyrule. A Skullkid?! Link's eyes blinded white and he nearly fell off his horse as the thought of a memory he'd never had struck hard in his head... tears pouring down his cheeks.

Eastward for an hour still, to the abandoned ranch before he would go north, toward Hyrule City. The glint of a memory, an ocarina, an old friend of the forest, a Kokiri girl, the master sword...

Somewhere between the forest edge and the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch, Link had drifted into wondrous adventures against a giant unheard of Dodongo, trading Eye Drops with a huge sized Goron, and saving the daughter of the king of Zoras... Fighting great evil... Someone he could clearly see from his every nightmare, but never recognized...  
Ganondorf...

Pangs of blinding guilt began twisting his memories again as the name caught a thread of recognition. Link spurred his horse with his boot, "H'yeahh!", half screaming in agony. He did not bother slowing for the citizens, he rode directly toward the castle, nearly colliding with a redheaded maiden on the way. The pain intensified as he neared the castle, as he tried to blink away the tears.

An ominous dark cloud spiraled over Death Mountain; coagulating down the hillsides, dispersing past Kakariko, and then hazed sideways along the cathedral, straight toward the castle gates: Where dozens of guards were evidently fighting something huge; as they were thrown into the skies and cast aside like dolls.

As he grabbed his Bow, Link dismounted and drew aim into the crowd of guards, hesitated, then unleashed an Arrow. Within a split second reaction, as the Arrow drew upon its target, a dark and neon-like black wave shattered the Arrow and fanned out toward Link; the dark wave smashing him in the chest, toppling him to the ground, and knocking the wind out of him. He fell unconscious in his struggle to endure the blow. A quiet whinny, whimper, and thud permeated the blackness that surrounded his failing consciousness.

"Link... Awaken..." Came a soft, melodic, caring voice. Link felt something cool press against his forehead and opened his eyes. The feint flickering light was dim but still caused him to squint. A beautiful woman with long rusty-golden hair, smiling down on him, pressing the rag to his head, breathing calm and speaking so soft; he knew right away that she was the Princess. He didn't need to see her elegant dress or intricate Royal Family jewelry and Triforce crests: The voice he heard in the meadow was no different than hers, only more stern then than she spoke now, gently as her hand that held the cool rag.  
Until he opened his eyes.

"Good," She said, almost hurriedly, "you're awake. Please listen closely... Hyrule's fate may well rest in our hands." she began. "You and I have been chosen by the Goddesses, Nayru and Farore, to protect Hyrule from a tremendous evil, a man who has stolen the Royal Family's greatest treasure, the Triforce!" pausing to wring out the damp rag and return it to Link's forehead, she continued, "Long ago, at the discretion of the Goddess of Time, the three Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru were permitted to create our world and breathe their own unique life into it."

"They created our world and all of us in it: We Hylians, the Sheikah, the Zoras, the Gorons, Gerudo, Kokiri, Dekus, Wolfos, everything... and when their works were complete, as they ascended back into the heavens, their spent energies following contrails of the presence of the goddesses coalesced whereupon they met and formed into the Triforce, a single fused set of 3 brilliant, luminous golden triangles; said to grant the wishes in the hearts of those who lay claim to it." She continued, "The royal family has forever charged itself with the protection of that sacred treasure..." Her voice began to crack and she became choked up.

Looking away, as a tear escaped, just in time to be flung aside by the momentum of her head; it spat upon Link's cheek, to his surprise. He sat up, and continued listening intently. Zelda drew a long and steady breath. "Today, I came of age, and learned of part of the legend, never before told to me or my people..." Her voice still cracked, choked, but clearing up. "Whence the three goddesses had completed their works and returned to the goddess of time, They were immediately sent back as punishment for the wrongdoings of their own creations!" She took another breath to calm herself and continued, "They were instructed to forge the weapons that would vanquish all evil wrongdoers in Hyrule. This part of the Legend is taught in the cathedral which was once the Temple of Time and acted as the entrance to the sacred realm where the three golden triangles rested, protected."

She paused awkwardly, "Link..." She drew an uncertain breath, but could not turn to face him. "Link, I tell you this, because i have never seen you in Hyrule before." A slow pause put Link in an uneasy mood. "I know you are the one who can help us, even if I can't explain it properly, but because Nayru chose me for the Triforce of Wisdom, I now bear its mark, and that's why I know _you_ have the Triforce of Courage." The Triforce of Courage resonated with this truth and began glowing on Link's hand in sync with Zelda's. "Somehow... She came to me _even before everything happened_... Reminding me of the Royal Family's duty."

A quiet sob emanated from her throat, as she tried to choke it down and continue, "I didn't understand... and... Sadly we failed to uphold our honor... The Royal Family decided it was best to have the previous generation of sages keep the Triforce in our own vaults... And had the former head sage, Rauru, transport the Triforce from the Temple... but never had we considered a Thief from the Desert to become an evil Wizard..." She sighed at herself with disgust. "I fought, as a girl, with my visions of him and his darkness; saw a young boy with a Fairy who would save us all, but he never came..." Her heart surged, and more tears fell from her eyes, as she reached up to wipe them away. She paused, then drew a breath and spoke somewhat more confidently, "Yet I now know... Thanks to Nayru, I know him to be you. You are the one from my dream, who is destined to be the Hero of Time!"

She turned back and looked Link deep in his eyes. "The Goddesses created the Ocarina of time and the Master sword to give a hero ample power to protect the Triforce, but... there is a third weapon made for dire circumstances! A weapon so powerful and complex that the Goddess of Time herself had to craft it with the help of the other goddesses: An armored Tunic, made by Nayru, with the ability to sheathe the ultimate weapon forged by both Farore and Din, one which negates even the Master Sword: The-" The walls shook, expanded, contracted; seemingly breathing, interrupting Zelda, and the world around them faded away to smoky swirls of dull color which slowly took the form of a grim and terrifying face.

"Ah, there's my bride...! You will not resist the King of Evil, young wench!" A dark, glowing crystal prison formed around Zelda, instantly inducing a trance upon her and lifting her up several feet. "... and you!" The voice boomed, as bright electrified light began to accumulate around his visage. "I know why she called you to her, and I plan to vanquish you _here and now_!" This declaration seemed to bring Zelda back to life, who immediately summoned a brilliant blue light which shattered the prismatic prison. She landed gracefully and stood indomitably before walking intently forward, toward an intricate panel with 3 hollow slots. "Ganondorf Dragmire! _Leave this sacred place_!" And with all her power, Zelda sealed herself and Link, several feet behind her, in a dome of brilliant magical light, revealing that they were inside of the Cathedral: The former Temple of Time. Her magic seemed to blow the charged light and smoky shadows away. "Link, there's no longer enough time! Take this and retrieve the Master Sword!" She threw the Ocarina of Time at Link, continuing "Ganon will claim me now, but you can still end this! Go back in time and find the other six sages! With them, help us bind him forever!" then extended her magical barrier toward the Pedestal of Time, forcing the monolithic Doors of Time open with her own magic and filling nearly the entire cathedral with Nayru's Love. She was exhausting herself too fast, sweating hard and suffocating; and Link saw it. He dashed for the sword, running with his all.

Upon unsheathing the sword, radiant red, blue, and green magical energies engulfed him, just as the King of Evil appeared in a dark crimson-black explosion of smoke. Link swung the Master sword with great might, blasting its energies out as a magical wave upon the intruder.

Side stepping the blast as it was swallowed by the smoke he'd traveled through, Ganondorf angrily addressed Link, voice booming and causing the ceiling to collapse. "**This ends NOW, boy!**" As his eyes turned to a dark neon crimson, and neon-like purple and black smoky energy emanated from his core.

Link lunged at him, driving the sword into Ganon's heart, but when he stepped away, only a phantom stood in the evil king's place. Struck from behind, Link was knocked out, as Ganon's evil laughter echoed throughout the halls, and all went black. Forever.


	2. Chapter 2: Hyruletropolis

**Chapter**** II: Welcome to Hyruletropolis**

* * *

_Well something seems amiss... Let's see if these kids know whats going on?  
I mean, one of them is named Link. He must know the score, right?_

* * *

**987 years later...**

A young lad and his three companions: A redhead girl with long hair, a young girl with cropped green hair, and a Zora girl from the Lake Hylia slums, all sit together upstairs, in front of his small TV in his room, watching the intro theatrics of the Legend of Zelda. A two part release: A game and a movie, the first ever successful game-to-move _or_ movie-to-game, in his opinion; as they were both a reflection of each other. He liked the game better because he was in control of the action. But he **Loved** the movie, as it was, essentially, a walk-through for the hardest but most rewarding ending path through the game... He was finishing the intro of the game, as Ganon vanquished Link, when his mother entered, "Oh, you kids! You shouldn't be playing inside on such a nice day like this! Go on, shoo, get some fresh air! I know it's a brand new game, and you want to play it all right away, but you too, Link. C'mon, outside!"

The green haired girl playfully punched Link in the arm. "yeah, 'little hero'." she laughed, "let's go out and take a swim!" The redhead interrupted "Or ride horses! C'mon Krystal, Horses are way funner than water! Right, Rutostasia?" The Zora girl shied away and turned her head down "i guesso" she muttered. "Geeze, Malon! You're getting to be just as bad as your sister, Marin, used to be! Why have you started to pick on Ruto so much anyways?" Krystal demanded. Rutostasia just quietly said "s'okay." and tried to make herself as small as unapparant as possible, not wanting to stir anything up.

"Hey, dont blame me for how Marin acted when she ran away!" They began bickering, but Link ignored them and unintentionally snuck away, right out the front door. It didn't take long for his friends to notice and chase after him. "Link, wait up!" Ruto called out and was the first to run down the stairs after him.

They all 4 gathered outside the front door and formed a circle around each other. "What do you guys want to do then?" Asked Malon. "I'm down for swimming" Rutostasia said with negligibly more confidence than before. "you _**would-**_" Malon accused, to which Krystal slugged her in the shoulder, "What's the matter with you, Malon?! You're never that mean...!"

Malon choked a sob away and said nothing. "It's okay, Krys. I can handle myself." Ruto said, confidently. Link suddenly fell to the grass on his back. The three girls rushed down to ask if he was okay, but he simply smirked and patted the grass beside him, and they giggled and laid down in a cross with all four of their heads touching.

The four friends laid about through the afternoon, talking, giggling, occasionally getting up and playfully sparring or playing tag. The afternoon was hot and uncomfortable, but it was getting closer to sundown when Rutostasia suggested some Parkour, "I ought to head home soon, but I don't want the fun to end... Anyone up for some free-running, to my place?" Excited agreements all around, "That's a great idea, Ruto!" Malon exclaimed, "Yeah! I'm in! I'll call mom and tell her I'm sleeping over at Link's. She wont know I'm in the slums, so she wont worry..." Krystal replied, taking out her GameGirl and selecting a contact. Link was beaming, lips ear to ear, bearing happy teeth.

The four stretched out on the grass, barefoot. Forward bends, knee dips, horse stance, splits, neck rolls, all of the kids getting pumped up and excited. Link was twisting his torso slowly side to side as the girls defined their marks. "C'mon link!" Krystal called from the starting line. "Waiting on you!"

Link took his mark between her and Ruto and bent down along with his friends. "I'll call it." Malon declared. "Ready?" 3 heads nodding, "Three..." she paused absurdly long, "Two..." a fan of suspense, she waited till her friends got impatient and fidgety, "ONE!" she took off first. "Hey, what about go?!" Ruto called, dashing forward; awkwardly as a Zora, yet with unprecedented grace for her people. Link and Krystal took off together, inches behind her, intentionally waiting on each other.

South, along the main street leading out of the downtown Hyrule Metro area. Though Link lived in the nearby suburbs, not the city, 'all roads lead to Hyrule'.  
They caught up with Malon, who caught sight of her companions and whistled sharply, "Come on Epona, join us!". She had ridden her horse out to visit and they two were inseparable, like life-mates. Epona galloped right over. "Cheater!" Krystal giggled, "You cant ride in Parkour!" Ruto giggled and veered off the road as it tapered into the undeveloped open fields northeast of the Lake Hylia slums. She knew she'd win if she could reach the shore even halfway behind her friends. No one can out swim a Zora!

A few moments later, When he caught sight of her deviating from Malon's lead from the corner of his eye, Link was next to follow her lead. He tapped Krystal's shoulder and nodded in Ruto's direction as he took off. She nodded, "Hey, Malon, Ruto is playing to win! Can your horse swim?" She laughed.

Malon was competitive, but had too many personal problems as of late to answer or focus on the fun; she was flooded with grief that she would not share with anyone but her most trusted friends... and even though they were here with her now, she still hasn't told but one friend. Her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, but she blinked them away and veered toward the shore and followed from behind, slowing down.

Krystal was _fiercely_ competitive, but liked her friend too much to try to outpace him... she was struggling with herself beside him, but finally bolted ahead, running past Ruto, reaching the shore first. She quickly fished out and tossed her GameGirl into the grass, diving right in. Link then looked back toward Malon who was walking now, horse following. He slowed, she noticed and shooed him ahead; so he dashed on.

Ruto looked back when Link passed her. Seeing Malon mount her Horse, she gave up racing and waited for her to catch up, Malon noticed and picked up pace. "Krys dropped her phone, could you ride out to the house and drop it off for us?" She shouted back, Malon smiled and gave an exaggerated nod and waved to make sure Ruto could see her answer clearly. Ruto waved then hobbled ahead quickly, pointing to the cell as she dove in without looking back.

Krystal was nearing the step ladder behind Ruto's adoptive family's shanty; Link was catching up, but Ruto was torpedoing madly toward them, dove deep, and jumped out of the water a few times, to announce herself. Krystal was first to the ladder and half way up, looking back at the splashing. "Geeze that's fast!" she observed aloud. Link grabbed the ladder as Krystal exclaimed at Ruto, who dove deep and spiraled down out of sight into the deep blue lake. Krystal hastily reached for the top but her footing slipped and she had to struggle to climb the rest of the way, so Link assisted her by offering one hand for a foothold. "Thanks, Link!" Krystal smiled down on him as Ruto splashed out and straight up to her front door and entered. "But it looks like we lost!" Krystal finished off, spontaneously.

The pair grabbed towels Ruto brought them; a strange commodity in a Zora community, but she had uncommon friends for a young Zora in today's world. They all smiled and laughed as Link and Krystal dried off. "I'm going to have to go back for my GameGirl, you know..." she started, but noticed Ruto's expression change, looking sarcastic, or concerned, or disgusted, or... "What?" Krystal requested. "Malon will bring it, I asked her to grab it and pointed to it as I jumped in the lake."

The three chatted, sitting on the dock edge, enjoying the end of the afternoon into the oncoming evening. They talked about all kinds of things, and various topics, while they waited for Malon. "... and so they are out of town for a while. I have the shanty all to myself for the foreseeable future!" Ruto had finished explaining, contented. "I've heard this shanty town was built on the remains of an ancient temple..." Krystal said partly out of the blue. Ruto began to respond when the familiar clopping pattern of a friend's horse interrupted her thoughts, "oh, there's your phone..." she said.

The friends went inside and Ruto offered some tea she'd prepared when retrieving the towels. So they sat around her vacant adobe and talked. The conversation was mostly quiet and plain... weather talk, mutual financial woes to look forward to as adults, the mythology of the hero of time came up but subsided without a whimper or a bang. Malon was silent most of this time, and Ruto nudged her. "you told me... come on, we all love you." she whispered. Malon was too proud to cry, but couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

She didn't sob or cry, but choked down her grief and breathed deep, ignoring the eye leak she had sprung. "It's my mom... She's... She's so very ill..." She paused long and hard, trying to even out her breathing. "What's wrong with Cremia?!" Krystal exclaimed. Their mothers had been great friends before Malon warmed up to Krystal. Krys all but lived vicariously through her mother and considered Cremia her friend before she did Malon or her elder sister, Marin.

Malon had lost her resolve, she'd endured hiding her grief for too long in one day and broke down and cried, embarrassingly in front of her friends; the only people, perhaps, whom in front of she could survive the shame of even doing so. Between sobs she explained all she knew, "The doctors say... it's. It's the cold air off the mountain... and told her... to stay warm and in bed, but Dad... and Ingo both think it's a cop-out, that the doctors don't know any more," She sobbed, gasped for air and slowed her breath. "About- They don't know more about it than we do."

Her tone became less grief stricken and more enraged as she continued. "They say that it will pass, to keep her sipping water and wrapped up in bed, but they don't understand how long its been!" She was getting madder and madder at the thought of her mother's state. "They don't understand how frail and weak it's making her, she cant stay in bed and do nothing! She needs to be out with the cows and the horses!" She near about screamed that last word: Horses were her life and world, and the whole ranch was her mother's life and world.

Lon-Lon Romani Ranch, locally known as The LLRR (or double LR), was once a great and economic foothold in northeast Hyrule. That is, until her mother struck ill a year ago, as if the two, person and property, had intertwined health. Ingo was too selfish to do half the work Cremia did, and Malon's father Talon was a lazy man but too attentive to his wife for that to be the case... Malon had never seen her father awake for so many hours in a day, so constantly beside her mother; his wife. The cows had all but destroyed the last bush on the property, and had already mowed away the grass, leaving the ranch dry, dusty, and brown... An insult and injury from its former glory.

Everyone had fallen as silent as Link; except Link, who sighed heavily and held Malon's hands. "Thanks, Link. You're a courageous friend, you know that?" She said smiling, wiping the tears from her eyes. Krystal moved in to initiate a group hug, and Ruto reluctantly joined in. The day was over, the friends stayed well into the night, and eventually Krystal's GameGirl chirped a 'secret sound'. "Mom's asking where we are... Looks like the jig is up! C'mon Link, maybe Malon will give us a ride back to your house?" She said. Malon smiled, but said nothing. Just nodded. She was spent.


	3. Chapter 3: Country aint never modern

Ruto said she wanted to go to bed, so the three companions rode together, slowly, in silence; twilight coming on quickly, the skies having long lost their beautiful red and pink hues in the west. No one said anything until they were out of the lake, "Do you want us to stay at your place tonight, Malon?" Krystal asked innocently. Malon's heart throbbed and her answer was caught in her throat. She half turned her head but immediately hesitated. Krystal leaned in.  
The three looked quite silly sharing a horse, and Malon, becoming self conscious about it and regaining her usual grace, she turned back and smiled. Krystal leaned back into Link and Malon replied, "That's a pretty good idea, actually." Her heart too heavy to convey her genuine excitement. Krystal snapped her handheld open and selected a contact. While she waited she teased Link "How come you're the only boy in in Hyrule who doesn't have a GameBoy?" Link smiled, but said nothing, just shaking his head and shrugging.  
Krystal laughed, "Whatever..."  
She spoke into her mic, "Hi, mom? - yeah, i kn- - yes- - i know. I'm sorry. we're fine. **Yes**... yeah, i know. We're fine, Ruto was eaten by the lake monster again, and Malon was eaten by her horse." She patronized. Link admired the silly relationship between Krystal and her mother. Something about it had a sneaky feel to it and made him wonder at times what was really going on. Krystal continued her call, "yeah, I know" she laughed, "Call Link's house, okay? We're staying at Malon's tonight. She needs her friends, and we cant say no." and hung up without a goodbye. "Your mom lets you get away with everything, Krystal! Mom would've had me cleaning the barn and stables from sun up till sun down for a month if I made demands like that!" she laughed.

Her similar admiration for her family's friends lifted her heart. "Link, you want to grab anything from home on the way?" She asked as they approached his house at the settling in of starlight. "Grab the satchel, Link!" Krystal said excitedly. A themed gift she had bought him to go with his newly acquired movie and video game. Link was slightly embarrassed, he thought it was more like a purse; but couldn't deny his friends, and nodded. Krystal nudged Malon "He'll be just like the Link in the movie!" She giggled. Malon's expression became serious and concerned, but she said nothing.

* * *

**Chapter III: ****Country aint never modern**

* * *

_I don't think, even if we're going to get him to talk, we'll be getting get any info out of Link.  
Better start pumping his friends, instead, get them to talk and explain this...  
_What a strange place for a new chapter...

* * *

It was nearing twilight before the trio arrived at the dilapidated overhang that had two huge L's and two huge R's with tiny fine print in between that read out as "Lon Lon Romani Ranch" across the unmaintained wood. Malon hated to see her home go to such waste like that, and tried not to look. Link stared at it, incredulous. So much worn away in such a short time. No 'c' or 'h', two small "o"s in 'Lon' and 'Romani', and two missing 'n's made the sign look like it said "L n Lo R ma i Ran ."... It had only been a couple years since he and Malon met, and he only remembered being there once, and it was such a pristine place! He couldn't help but think this mystery illness had something to do with it, and couldn't shake the clamps he felt gripping his heart at the thought.

"How come you never invite me to your house, Krystal?" Malon perked, not really even asking, but Krystal fell silent and just curled her green bangs with a finger. Link abruptly dismounted and startled the girls, "Whoa!" Malon called, half to her horse, half to Link, "A little warning next time okay, _hero_?" She joked, at the satchel. Link smiled and patted the satchel. He thought he really did look like the Hero of Time; just with darker hair, no tunic, and no equipment. Okay so he hardly looked anything like the hero, but Link liked to think he did. His mother always told him he had the blondest hair in the world when he was born, never the less.

Link jogged alongside Epona and his friends down the drive to the Ranch House. Ingo was sleeping on the porch, arms folded sternly over his chest, and a seemingly permanent scowl painted his lips. Malon and Krystal dismounted Epona and Malon told them to wait at the porch while she took her horse to the corral and close it up. Krystal was being very self conscious ever since Malon's innocent question, and Link saw her contemplative eyes, stepped to her and broke her focus. He smiled with his eyes, looking into hers. "Oh link, you always know what to say, don't you?" She smiled. This comment was just loud enough, it shocked Ingo out of his sleep and he shouted out "Who's there, thieves?! Brawlers?! Mafioso?! Get off my property!"  
He was still dreaming but didn't know he was awake, and took off after Link and Krystal. Link grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the corral, and they took off running for Malon. "Malon! Ingo's gone nuts!" Krystal called out ahead. Looking back, Link could see Ingo veer off toward the stables. Probably getting a horse, he thought. Link ran ahead faster and cleared the gate as Malon was closing it. He bolted to the horse, and jumped on Epona's back, turned her around and galloped to the gate. Krystal and Malon traded places with Link and Epona, and Link rode off toward Ingo, to distract him from the girls. "Thief!" he called out when he saw Link riding.  
Link lead Ingo around the corral for a few laps before Talon stormed out of the house, ranting and spouting, "What in tarnation is goin' awn out here? I had better notta heard someone stealin' my horses!" He belted. Just as Link and Ingo were coming around their third lap. Link halted Epona and stopped in front of Talon, who glared at him furiously. Ingo came around a little too quickly and halted the horse a little too late. The horse compensated, Ingo did not. Ingo was flung off the horses back and directly into Talon's huge belly, knocking the both of them to the ground.

Inside the ranch house, The three friends and Talon sat at the dinner table, and Ingo stood awkwardly in the threshold between the dining and living rooms. Talon's demeanor was reversed; calm, collected. Happy, as to cater to his daughter's guests, but upset given the circumstances of his wife's health. "I got no qualms puttin' y'all up for the night, but I'd appreciate more warning next time you come home at 3 o' clock in th'mornin' with friends! Coulda put out fresh milk for y'all." Malon recoiled at the thought of giving away free milk while the cows starved, turned to say something but couldn't bring herself to fault her father's generous hospitality and looked down into her lap instead. Talon yawned big and loud "Y'all get some sleep. I'll letcha sleep-in, given schools out this summer and yer up so late. Ya need yar rest." He said as he got up from the dining table, beckoning Ingo toward the porch.  
The kids wandered into the living room, but could hear Talon sternly lecturing Ingo about making hasty decisions and acting recklessly. Malon and Krystal were totally wiped out and could barely keep an eye open as they took opposite arms of the couch and laid their heads down. Link draped the enormous quilt lain across the back of the couch over the two and retreated to the arm chair beside Krystal's head. He heard Malon murmur something about her mother's knitting as she fell unconscious. "Mom knitted thi- quilt... When Marion was..."

Everyone had settled in for the night. The witching hour was a fascinating time for Link. He felt very alive and alert, and couldn't sleep, just waiting for his friends' breathing to even out so he could quietly make his escape into the night air. He dozed off, briefly, for half an hour or so, but was awakened by a faint sound from outside. He opened his eyes and listened. It sounded like... laughter? Link quietly crept out of the arm chair and snuck toward the front door. There it is again, but it sounded distant. He hesitated at the doorknob.


	4. Chapter 4: More questions than answers

Outside, the crisp air was welcomed with a heavily contented sigh, but the sound of distant cackling left Link feeling uneasy. He tiptoed in the direction of the sound and found himself walking toward the Lost Woods, east of the ranch. The eerie darkness and moonlit shadows cast a frightening atmosphere upon the forest, but somehow this brought a sense of comfort to Link, and the cackling changed... Seemed more celebratory laughter than witchy spellbinding. Link glanced back at the house while he continued to follow the sounds of laughter.

A small light seemed to move of its own accord behind the tree trunks and through the branches, catching Link's curiosity and beckoning him to follow. The light seemed to keep pace with him, he sped up, the light sped up, he'd slow down, the light would slow down. Suddenly, he decided to go for broke and dashed after it. It lagged ahead of him briefly but shot ahead at blinding speed! The laughter also grew clearer and a little louder. A mix between cackles and celebratory hollers echoed off the fat trunks of old trees. The light led Link deep into the woods and suddenly darted off more directly toward the sounds of laughter.  
Link managed to keep up, sliding as he made the sharp turn and losing one foothold, compensating with the other. The light was way ahead, clearly visible, but stationary. Link was running fast, but slowed down. He approached the light, maybe 10 feet away, the closest he'd gotten yet, and inched closer. The light rang and tinged softly and jumped back toward Link, got in his face, and hummed away into the treetops before Link could make out what had happened. Voices rose up through the laughter and conversation could be faintly distinguished. Link held his breath and crept softly closer.

* * *

**Chapter IV: More Questions than Answers  
**

* * *

_This is ridiculous, what's going on here?!  
Some sort of punk kid's fan-fiction or some crud?!  
I'm starting to think this isn't going to be real Zelda.  
I hate it when the author writes about themselves as the hero!_

* * *

"Well that fairy did a fine job, helping us scout for a new mushroom patch!" One harsh voice beamed happily, "Indeed, indeed! We can begin making new potions again! Hee-hee!" Came another voice that sounded almost identical. "Who ever would have thought old hags like us could willingly work with a forest fairy?" The first one cackled. The two witches hobbled an awkward dance around an eerie blue flame that glowed as if with shadow rather than light. The flame abruptly went out and two shadows pooled up from it, before darting over to Link.

Two hands from separate bodies grabbed link by the shoulders and pinned him against a tree. "Aunt Koume, we have a visitor!" one said simultaneously, as the other said rather, "Aunt Kotake". The witches cackled, the air carrying their glee into the sky, and they suddenly materialized broomsticks and hovered swiftly over to Link. The fire pit had turned to normal fire and its light revealed a fat hollowed out tree with a ladder and chimney. Link admired this forest house in spite of his situation. One of the shadow girls noticed his gaze and looked at the house too. The twin on the other shoulder saw her sister turn away and so she, too, looked back. They both returned to stare Link down and asked in unison "What?"

Koume and Kotake alternated between one another with their speech. One would begin, the other would finish. "Twila, Midna, bring our guest inside," One started, "We have him a gift that will bring him pride." The other continued. "Special boy this one is." The red witch said "The destiny of Hyrule shall be his!" The blue witch finished.  
Twila and Midna exchanged doubtful glances but withdrew into the ground as shadows and retreated to the tree home. Link hadn't realized the two shadow girls were holding him up so high and he fell unexpectedly. Koume and Kotake hovered closer and leaned in, just staring at him. Then turned and flew into their chimney calling behind them together "Hurry along now!" Koume said, "We've much to address!" Kotake punctuated. Link got up and brushed himself off, front and back. Looked up to see if he could find the light, apparently a fairy, he'd chased into this place.

Inside the Witch hut was a large cauldron in the middle of the room, a domed smoke stack hung over it from above, carved out of and supported by the tree itself, a low over hang with beds stacked on one wall, and an L shaped counter right beside the front door, where Midna or Twila stood, the other nowhere to be seen. Koume stood in front of the cauldron, stirring in mushrooms, and Kotake sat in a rocker beside the bunks, impatiently beckoning Link.  
Link approached the red witch and sat before her, expecting a story or some such thing. The witch cackled "You heart is true, boy!" she started, "True like blue! Oi!" Koume joked to finish. Kotake picked up, "We may not look it, hags as we are, my sister and I trained the evil king in times long afar." Koume didn't look up from her brew, but kept the conversation going, "You might not believe my sister and I to have lived in ancient Hyrule as the centuries trickled by!" Then leaned in to sample the odor of her potion.  
"You might not believe that we could so long have stayed alive" Kotake continued on, "But believe it or not, we are fifteen hundred and five!" Koume declared, to which her twin abruptly stood in her rocker, "You hag! we're twins! you cant be younger than me!" Kotake approached the cauldron from the opposite, grabbing a spoon, and stirring with her twin. "Don't be so cruel dear sister! We're finally free! I'm only trying to save us some grace!" Koume argued. Kotake shook the spoon at her, "But that's a lie, we're better than that! Know your place!" They continued bickering, "Don't blame me for learning how to survive!" And bickering... "Our student might still be alive!"

Midna had been hiding in the shadow of the rocker and slipped up to Link and introduced herself with a sly smile, and Twila slipped over behind the witches through Koume's shadow to approach Link's opposite side, "and I'm her twin sister, Twila." They then spoke in unison: "come, meet us outside, our aunts are busy finishing your potion." Link laughed to himself, 'is that what they're doing' he wondered in silence as he followed their floor shadows out the door. "Liar!" but not without passing bickering twins. "Wretch!"  
The eerie blue flame had begun to enshroud the area again, and Link stepped in. Inside the shadow, light was reversed, where shone bright appeared shadow, where shadow fled, lurked light. It took a moment for Link's eyes to adjust, then he saw Midna and Twila standing together in what appeared to be a trance. They then hovered off the ground a few inches and the shadowy light dome around them changed and swirled, showing visions and events in a blur. Armies clashing for treasure, a giant mirror in the desert, a tall dark spire hovering over a pit of lava, and as the visions focused, Link saw himself as a young boy, maybe 2 or 3 years younger than he is now, asleep in a tree, stirring and restless.

"The first Hero of Time was never the _first_ hero, yet the goddess of time picked _you_ from _him_." The twins spoke inseparably, "Your past is not _your_ past, your present is _not_ your present, but the future belongs _entirely to you_. This young Link was the _first_ the 3 goddesses _spoke_ to, the first to touch their treasure in his mind... with his heart... ... and the first to save Hyrule from _Ganondorf_." The vision continued to change, but focused on this one event. A fairy entered and began bouncing all about, and the vision swelled and warped into the phantom Link's mind.

A dream of a young princess riding quickly with her attendant, fleeing Hyrule, followed distantly by Ganondorf, riding his steed out of an ancient Hyrule gate and drawbridge. A brief exchange of looks as the princess rides past link; Ganondorf halting before the boy, shouts at him about the white horse. Link drawing a weapon, and Ganon laughing. He smiles evilly, firing a bolt of dark light into link and paralyzing him... The dream hazed away back to the fairy who was shouting at Link, and then the vision faded away again to the eerie inverted light of Midna and Twila's dome. They continued their story, "You bear the heart, spirit, and soul of the Hero of Time, whose lives have been ever fraught with peril." Link was shocked and caught a small gasp in his throat, recoiled, and slowly sat down, trying to steady his swirling head.

"When you first awakened as the hero, Ganon had already seized power and sought the Triforce, but you and the princess weren't ready. While you traveled over vast mountains, under deep blue water, through the realm of the dead, and even across the river of time, in the end, Zelda and the sages sealed Ganon in the void between realms and she returned you to your original time, so to give you your own life back. But Ganon was not fully sealed as the sages had thought."  
A vision of Ganon cursing the descendants of the sages, Zelda playing the ocarina of time, and Link; returning in the temple. The fairy was with him all times, throughout every moment of that long journey, until the very end, when he was returned to his past, whence the fairy drifted away through the cathedral window. "You did not forget your adventures, you still felt duty bound, but this time you warned the princess of Ganondorf's deceit; you told her your story of having arrived as he prophecy had shown, then did her bidding and opened the temple of time. You explained how her plan worked against 7 years of Hyrule's history, so Zelda made no requests of you, but offered a parting gift for your service to the royal family, and as a surefire guarantee that Ganondorf would not open the doors of time: the Ocarina of Time. Feeling empty, unfulfilled, and alone, you sought your old friend and companion whom had accompanied you on your first journey. Requesting the horse of another young friend, buying a custom shield from Biggoron, and finally requesting a sword from your former childhood community from which you were growing too distant, you set out into the Lost Woods, in hopes of finding your fairy..."

The vision warped into The Skullkid chasing Link through the lost woods, stealing his horse and transforming him into a Deku Scrub, followed by Termina fields' view of Clock Town, and showed the moon falling and warping back repeatedly. The vision remained in a strange loop like this as the twins kept on, "The goddess of time saw how powerful you had become and used you to save another world _connected by the dreams of Hyruleans_. Upon entering the dream world of Termina, your presence awakened a sleeping evil, the Nightmare Majora, trapped in the Dekuwood of a stolen magical mask; imprisoning Majora in the waking world of Hyrule. Though you had befriended a Skullkid with your own mask trading, he had stolen that evil mask from a traveling salesman, putting all dreams, and thus all of reality, at risk! The goddess of time guided you backward through time repeatedly, as this old and forgotten evil attempted to destroy the world by using your friend like a puppet! You needed to finish your first adventure... You did not know how... So you found yourself saving another world instead. Your adventure into the lost woods to find a former companion rather found you into rescuing the world from a deadly nightmare!"  
The vision panned in on a Skullkid wearing a strange mask, beckoning a giant and angry Moon overhead and Link playing his Ocarina.  
Then the vision warped into the moon's mouth and revealed an eerie arena where the mask took on its own body and form.  
Link put on a white mask, and the vision faded again...

The twins were hovering, slowly circling over the dark flame together, "The goddess of time saw you through many adventures throughout the ages, and with the help of her sisters and their Triforce, you vanquished evil at every turn... Passing between the world of light and shadow, entering the Sacred Realm en Dark World, and even passing through the dreams of Hyruleans..." The vision warped through time and exposed the execution of Ganondorf Dragmire for his crimes against the Royal Family, warping around to show Ganon vanquished by Link in his lair in the Black Citadel, warping past to Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple, twisting light into a vast ocean, boiling away to a nightmarish battle against Ganon in the form of a Great Beast, warping away to the twins again. "After Zelda originally sent you back in time, Ganon had broken free from the void between realms... and in order to save everyone, the goddesses flooded nearly all of Hyrule with the help of the King, and your dream was forgotten... so that you could be born yet again, to face the revived King of Evil in his own deluge. Ganon, King of Evil met his demise at your hands countless times over countless eons, but never parted with the Triforce of Power until the events of the Imprisoning War, whereupon he was sealed in the sacred realm and his evil magic twisted it into the Dark World."

The vision disintegrated and dissolved, revealing another vision underlying. "Using the wizard, Aghanim, Ganon found a way to escape, and nearly succeeded until you were chosen once more to save Hyrule and attacked the Wizard, learning of his darker designs. He kidnapped the descendants of the seven sages who had imprisoned him, so as to escape and unleash the united parts of the Triforce against the world, but fell to your might and finally lost all three parts in the end. You vanquished him and laid claim to the whole Triforce after an epic battle. Your wish to restore Hyrule touched Farore's heart..." The vision warping through time and space again, to show Ganon vanquished by Link in his pyramid lair in the Dark World; Link securing the Triforce in an adjacent chamber; then warping back to the twins and Link, the vision flowing away like low tide. "However, as ever you returned, time and time again, so too did Ganondorf Dragmire; and over time, he had been resurrected by his followers in Hyrule, yet again, to secure the Triforce of Power."

The vision flooded in again, with images of an older and more mature Link: Emerging from a cave, carrying a newly acquired sword, and embarking upon his journey before the visage faded back out - like the tides ashore. "You had defeated Ganon once more and Zelda used her power of the Triforce of Wisdom to strip the Triforce of Power from Ganon's being and return the world to peace." tides rising, the vision swells with prosperous celebration and drains back to the inverted darkness. "Yet even as a hero, you walked away to live on in simplicity: For she was engaged; to a selfish prince, a man unworthy of kingdom who inadvertently cursed his bride-to-be with a sleeping spell, cast by a devious magician he, himself, hired... To secure the Triforce for his own selfish desire!" The vision faded back in, to detail Link's battles against a shadow copy of himself as the young twins narrated on, "Once more you came to the aid of Hyrule and sought the means to rescue the princess. Your shadow image guarded the Triforce of Courage, needed to awaken the Princess who had separated the 3 golden triangles and sealed them in 3 separate locations. A time of great prosperity followed for Hyrule thereafter... The Triforce became the stuff of legend and was all but forgotten..."

The twins hovered away from the flame on opposite ends and touched down to the ground. The blue flame dissipated and returned to normal fire, and the twins continued... "Farore, the goddess of courage, had grieved for you and wished you your own life, so with the help of the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru and the Goddess of Time; Farore helped you and Zelda forget all your deeds as the Hero of Time and Sage of Wisdom, after Zelda sent you back originally."

The twins became solemn, "You were genuinely returned to your own time. You did not wait with the Master Sword for 7 years to battle Ganon, but were sent back to the moment you awoke from your nightmare. You left the Kokiri Forest in a daze, did not come back again to enter Termina, for you did not remember your fairy companion, and you did not return to the Kokiri village in the Lost Woods either. You grew to manhood, becoming a Hylian Hunter and introduced the Kokirish attire as huntsman's garb; when you became a man it had been since made traditional attire for hunting. However, Ganon could not be parted with his lust for power, even after he was trained as a Wizard by _our very aunts, Koume and Kotake!_" Link recoiled, Twila and Midna continued, "He used their teachings to bind them to his own will for a time and became an evil Warlock. He seized the Triforce of Power and used it to vanquish you and steal the Triforce of Courage. With those two parts in place, he forced Zelda to relinquish the Triforce of Wisdom and vanished; all but without a trace, as his minions overran all of Hyrule for 500 years of pure darkness. What has happened in the last 400 years are enshrouded in mystery, as his monsters seemed to disappear and civility returned to the lands... ... but the existence of the Moblin police and Stalfos Knights remain testament to his presence even toda..." Interrupting the twins, Koume and Kotake burst out of the tree hut and began scolding their twin nieces.


	5. Chapter 5: The Dirt on Downtown

"Twila! Midna! How dare you tell our tale!" Kotake began, "You pests spoiled our surprise and frightened the young boy pale!" Link got up and brushed himself off again, standing tall, as to show he was fine, not at all traumatized, not the least bit scared. Koume and Kotake ordered Midna and Twila into the house with no more than a stiff bony finger, each, jutted to their front door, and the two youngers slipped away into the shadows. "Perhaps it's started all over again," Koume said to Kotake, "The hero does reappear now and then." Her sister agreed. They eagerly stared at Link with great intent.

Link waited. The witches waited. Link looked into their eyes. The sisters looked him in his eyes. Link stood awkwardly, waiting. Koume and Kotake hovered on their broomsticks, awkwardly. Link scratched the back of his brown head of hair.

"Oh! That's right!" Kotake burst out, and squirmed and fidgeted like slapstick, retrieving a bottle from her sleeve. "Bring this back to us tomorrow afternoon." She started, "We can help your friend's mother with our potion of blue." Koume finished.  
"Also, you might want these. They aren't worth trade anymore, like in the old days, but you can still find more by cutting down the shrubs you might find... Well if you had a sword... These were for the last bottle of potion we sold, hundreds of years ago, before everything changed." Kotake spoke plainly. Koume handed over a purple rupee and a pair of red rupees, and the large bottle. Link stared at the large bottle a moment and took it from the witch with caution, as if it might be cursed. Kotake cackled, and the two witches disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Link had breached the forest edge about a mile behind the Ranch and trudged along, sleepily. It was dawning, and though no sun was visible, the light poured over the horizon, announcing it was not far from rising. By the time he made it to the front porch, his two friends burst out in a panic... They were looking for him.  
"Link!" Was all Malon could really say, and the three of them stood on the front porch awkwardly. "What were you doing outside so early?" She asked after an awkward silence. Link smelled breakfast, and his stomach growled. Tired from lack of sleep, and now hungry on top of it, he gripped his stomach and then fell to his knees, prompting Krystal and Malon to his side. "Link!" Krystal yelled, worried. Then his stomach growled louder, and clued the girls in. They laughed together and escorted him to the dining table.

After breakfast, Link passed out in the Living room, watching Super Mario cartoons with his friends.  
¯

_  
In Link's dream, he saw the worlds of Hyrule, all bound and contained together by the Triforce, with himself standing amidst them all, as if a giant tree, binding the worlds of Hyrule across time and space, standing in the center of the Triforce.  
In one world, red with war, crawling off his right arm, in another, on his forehead, blue with ocean and vast of skies, others showed peaceful melding of people, and some showed pristine nature, green and untouched, growing upward from beneath his left foot.  
The giant Link, towering over his myriad adventures, peered down into a shadowy realm branching out from his heart. Black clouds and purple lightning foreshadowing an olive sunset; a weak and sickly looking sunset, its rays not even beaming outward, but shining enough to express the hordes of monsters crowding together in the shadows.  
Deep into the darkness, where no monsters stirred, smoky, cloudy wisps of shade gently tumbled about. Emerging were the twins, Twila and Midna. "The potion's almost done, wake up sleepyhead!" They said in unison. As they retreated to the billowing shadows, Link thought he could see himself peering out with glowing red eyes, as he awoke.  
¯

_  
He'd slept through the cartoons, and heard the front door click shut, opened his eyes and looked around; got up and left the house. He found Krystal mounting Epona, and Malon standing beside, helping her up while giving her some riding instructions. "Hey sleepyhead!" Krystal called to him, waving then losing her balance. Link approached them. "Krystal was jealous you 'got to' ride Epona last night," she said, slightly offensively, "and she conned me into teaching her how to ride..." Krystal butted in, "You looked so fabulous and heroic, Link!" and Link blushed.

Malon explained that she wasn't too happy with Link, and didn't like sharing her horse, told them both it was a "one time deal" and that they would have to find their own horses next time. "This might take a while, Link. Why don't you find something to make yourself useful? I'm sure Ingo would be more than happy to dump his responsibilities on you!" Malon half joked, but meant it literally. So Link disappeared for a couple hours while the girls rode and Ingo labored, Talon at his frail wife's side.

"You're late!" Kotake cackled inoffensively, stirring up a ladle full of blue from within the cauldron. "You'll have to hurry back, this isn't a proper potion," she continued, "it will turn red when its exposed to warmth or sunlight for more than a minute." Koume explained, "In the forest, the cool air will preserve it," she continued, followed by her sister, "When you reach the forest edge, _don't_ step into the light," she emphasized, "Run!" They said together.  
This may have confused him, this may not have. Perhaps he was simply very eager to finish the task, or perhaps he mistook their unison as an immediate command. Whatever may the case be, Link ran as fast as he could the whole way there; cradling the bottle, twice protected, within his satchel. When he cleared the forest, he ran faster. He bolted into the house and up the stairs, ran back to the room at the very end of the hall and entered Talon and Cremia's room. Talon got up with a shot, and approached Link, who ignored him and produced the bottle from his pack. He stood bedside of Cremia and held the blue potion to her lips. The smell was inviting; invigorating and aromatic, so immediately she wanted to drink a sip at first, then regaining her strength with miraculous speed, drank faster, and then, halfway through, gulped that half of the bottle all at once, leaving not a drop. She jumpped out of bed and stood tall, invigorated, Healthy! Talon was confused and angry for Link's sudden burst into the privacy of his room and did not know what to do, just awkwardly shouted monotonously "What was that, boy?"

Cremia had recovered so instantly that suddenly, she was in tears and hugged her husband fiercely. Malon and Krystal had seen Link's haste outside, while riding, and followed him in cautiously; entering to the sight of two crying, happy adults. Malon was in shock for a moment and moved her lips, yet said nothing. Krystal looked aside and saw Malon's reaction, then stepped away with Link. Malon then burst into tears and cried out "MOM!" And ran over to embrace her parents.

* * *

**Chapter V: The Dirt on Downtown**

* * *

_Okay...  
Maybe this is going somewhere after all...  
But what's going on here? This is barely Zelda!  
So yeah, it's apparently the future, but... I mean, come on...  
What about temples, dungeons, monsters, Heart Containers, and... you know... Zelda stuff?!_

* * *

Krystal and Link had quietly left the family, without a word, and left them to their joyous reunion. They began the long walk back to Link's house, and Krystal wanted to ask him what happened in there but couldn't find the words. They walked slowly and silently for almost 2 miles before she broke the silence, "How did you save Cremia? No one knew what was wrong, and you came in and out like nothing happened at all. I've only ever heard of the forest witches having that kind of healing power..." Her mention of the witches shocked Link into recoil, and when he turned with a start, his eyes peeled open in surprise, Krystal recoiled as well, intuiting what happened. "no..." was all she could say at first.

They walked for only a brief silent moment, nearing the river "You went into the forest this morning, didn't you?" Link's expression told all, his jaw dropped. Krystal turned aside, partially ashamed. She didn't know how to explain how SHE knew about the Forest Witches. Having never told anyone where she lived, Cremia being the only living soul but her own mother to know. But she stayed silent and continued walking, leaving Link behind to catch up from her stunning revelation. He slowly began walking again, then picked up the pace to catch up with her, but said nothing.

They walked in silence, following a winding pedestrian path to climb west across the highway bridge, spanning the river between east and west Hyruletropolis, through downtown, past the skate park, and onward toward Link's house, still a couple miles away. almost half an hour of silence between the pair, nothing but the sounds of traffic and wind. They barely cleared the park when the silence was starting to irritate Krystal, but her mind was overly occupied with her home and her mother's past; wanting to talk but not about her thoughts, unable to distract herself she broke off. "I'm sorry, Link! I've got to go home!" Krystal said, tears welling up in her eyes. She ran back toward the park and followed the adjacent footbridge, south of the highway, and didn't look back. Link was beside himself, and backtracked to the skate park to find a bench and contemplate.  
He wondered about his friends' strange behaviors recently, the eerie chance encounter with the witches and shadow girls; and Cremia's mysterious illness. He was so stuck in thought he hadn't noticed a homeless Goron is walking around the perimeter of the park... Or the black leather jackets coming and going consistently from seemingly random streets. He did not notice the purple t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with elegant and intricate "B" emblems on the fronts and/or backs. Nor had he consciously noticed the garish yellow tuxedo that stepped out of a limousine, or the cyan bandannas and wristbands that huddled together beside sports cars. All that, which marked the local riff-raff, suddenly started standing out after the Goron's umpteenth lap around the skate park. Link had sat for so long, engorged on thought, as if in shock - and quite rightly so - that the scenery around him had started to turn into a story of self evident lies and mystery.

The afternoon had slipped right underneath his nose. But for a moment, of sudden lucidity, Link felt like he could see through reality, as if a divine force compelled him to act on, and solve, the many Hyrulean problems he encountered. His eyes widened as he watched some more, now with intent. A black thief had picked the yellow tuxedo's pocket, whom had come to launder money with a purple brawler as part of a reward to his gang for "cleaning up" the cyan racers up north in mafia territory, which had moved in on the black thieves' claim and forced them out into the west, outside of town.  
Even though it took all day for these events to transpire, Even though Link had payed no direct attention to any of the events, so caught up in his own recent experience, Link was suddenly and mysteriously aware of all of this... He had no genuine proof that what he thought he saw was real, but he felt it in his heart to be true, and then, as if on cue, the Goron took off his perimeter path to approach Link, standing directly in front of him, almost menacingly, waiting for Link to look up at him.


	6. Chapter 6: Mixed Memories

**Well, Happy Zelda Pride Day!  
I wasn't gonna submit this till next week, but... Zelda Pride Day :D**  
**10/17/13  
**_10/21/13 updated_

* * *

Link felt scared for a moment and slowly looked up to meet the homeless Goron's eyes. The fear melted away when Link saw friendly eyes and a sly grin, just as the Goron spoke "Hi! My name's Link. You homeless, kid?" Link looked around and noticed many derelict Hyruleans approaching the park one by one from all directions and noticed the smell of hotdogs coming from under the bridge behind him. He shook his head to answer the Goron and looked behind him, where he saw a line forming from under the bridge.**  
**

The Goron beamed, happy to help anyone down on their luck, even if Link wasn't homeless, and saw an opportunity to explain the situation to someone who wasn't up to date. "Ah, the homeless feed. great people, they come out here every evening and cook up some cheap grub for those of us who have no money. They even accept original rupees as exchange, not just that fake paper stuff they have now, with the pictures of the royal family on them and stuff." Link fetched a 5r bill from his pocket, sporting an elegant Princess Zelda on the front. "Yeah... They don't care about that stuff. no real value for what they do, feeding people. They don't reject it, im sure they buy more food with it, but they don't seem to want any money." The Goron explained. He sat beside Link with a thud. "You've been sitting here a long time, got anywhere to go? You're sure to be hungry! ... Tell ya what, I'll give you the rundown on how Downtown Hyrule works... ... If you bring us back a couple hotdogs each?" Link smiled and got up, getting in Line.

It was a long wait, for so many people had shown up. Link had no idea that so many people in Hyrule were homeless or drifters. Fascinated by the hospitality of the group serving food, Link was eager to see them. Only a few people left in front of him before he could make out their faces, a familiar looking young Hylian girl about his own age and an older woman, who looked Hylian as well, were busy going back and forth between a van with supplies and the tables they had brought along to set up a small propane stove and put out buns and condiments. Link slopped mustard, relish, ketchup, onions, and chopped peppers into four buns while the person ahead was receiving hotdogs from the Hylian woman. When he was next, the Hylian woman exchanged places with the younger girl who was coming back from the van with more hotdogs to put into the boiling pot. She was incredibly pretty, Link felt. He forgot he was in line for food for a moment and did not understand what she meant when she asked, "Four?" He blinked a couple times "You look like you must be _really_ hungry! better make it five!" She was so kind, and put a fifth bun on his plate, filling all 5 of them with hotdogs. She smiled at him, even with her eyes, and Link felt so strong in that moment. He beamed at her, smiling back with his eyes too, before getting bumped ahead by the line behind him.

The Goron Link was waiting patiently and watching The Hylian Link the whole time, as he just noticed while carrying the 'dogs back to the bench. "Ooh! Extras from Zelda, huh? I done saw that! Lucky kid, you are! She must like you!" He teased, Link blushed and grabbed a hotdog. Goron Link left it at that and fulfilled his end of the deal, "Alright, kid. homeless or not, you got a lot to figure out if yer gonna hang out Downtown for long times like this. Lucky i'm here protecting this here park! Else the Purple Brawlers might see fit to make an example of ya and kick you around. They consider the industrial bloc by the river to be their turf, and have moved into the commercial buildings across the street, recently. If nothing else, that church right across from us will be safe for you. No one goes in those places anymore unless they still believe in the Three Golden Goddesses. Doesn't matter what you believe though, the place is still protected from on high. No brawlers, Mafia, Thieves, Racers, or Moblins _ever_ go in there if they are not innocent, themselves." He ate one hotdog, in one bite. "mmf, not bad for being rock-free..." he mumbled to himself. "So, first thing's first, kid: Stay well away from the Purple ones with those fancy B's emblazoned on their colors. They are working with the Mafia, those ones wearing those awful yellow tuxedos. You might want to keep your distance from them too, but they wont even notice you unless they think you are in possession of something of value to them. I heard a rumor that they own Hyrule from the underground, manipulate the Moblins and other monsters and that's how they booted the thieves out of northern Hyruletropolis... But anyone who knows the stories, knows that they would have to belong to Ganon for that to be true! Ha! haha!" he laughed at the notion that Ganon would use anything but his own monsters, and ate his second hotdog in one bite like the first. Link was barely half way done with his first.

"Well! That's that, I guess. Unless..." Goron Link licked his lips and grabbed his tiny belly - so small for a Goron! "You gonna eat that?" he asked about the fifth hotdog. Link held up the plate and offered both hotdogs to the Goron, who took it as payment for more advice.  
"Then you need all the information you can get, huh? Guess the next thing you want to watch out for is the Racers. They race against the mafia, who have a few guys in yellow jumpsuits. It's kind of a big deal at the stadium to see them compete, but that's only the side you're 'supposed to' see. What goes down on the streets is much more dangerous and full of violence. Street races is how the mafia picks the winners and losers. All betting at the track is fixed from the start. The mafia doesn't care about the racers' turf, just the drivers; the ones skilled and stupid enough to get involved at the track in the stadium. The Cyan Racers, on the other hand, are as mean and tough as the Brawlers. Both sides fight for territory. Like i said, the Brawlers recently took some commercial turf near here. Was Cyan territory last week. Might be Cyan again next week." He ate both hotdogs in one bite. The food didn't seem to be worth his time, like gulping down air. He looked miserable, disappointed by the food instead of fulfilled by it. Link remembered the rupees he'd put in his satchel with the bottle and pulled out the large purple one. The Goron's eyes widened as if he'd just witnessed a miracle. "REAL FOOD!" he shouted. "It's no Rock Sirloin, just candy, but I'll tell you anything you want to know if you can keep 'em comin'!" Goron Link hopped up and stomped a happy dance, shaking the ground beneath him, then held out his hands expectantly. Link handed over the rupee, and watched, incredulous, as the Goron ate it. As if grinding it into a thousand pieces. Smaller rupee shards sprinkled off. a blue rupee and several small green rupee shards. "YA-HOO!" He shouted triumphantly, "First real food in a week! No one has brought in any rupees for a long time! Used to be, once in a while, folk would give Zelda and Impa some rupees for their service, and they would turn around and feed 'em to me! A Goron cant survive off of the same food everyone else can! Which is also why you'll never see a Zora down here at the feed. I stick around 'cuz i keep the violence out. I might be starving, but no one but a Goron can beat me! So as long as I'm here, the homeless feed goes on as scheduled, the Brawlers and Racers leave everyone alone, and since no money is exchanged, the Mafia never cared to begin with. ... And cuz you fed me a wallop of rock candy today, I'll start you off with a great tip. The Thieves in black, and sometimes leather jackets, are homeless just like the rest of us. I told you about the mafia kicking them out of their old turf, right? Guess they had something valuable? Beats me, but they are not as bad as they look. Rumor has it they are working with the Gerudo clan, out in the desert. One of 'em, looks like a ninja, comes around here once in a while, but never talks; stays as out of sight as possible, and leaves as invisibly as they come. Seen 'em see me seein' 'em once, and they disappeared into the traffic. Guess they don't like bein' seen! Ninjas... But i seen this one doin' trade with other thieves, so they must be the same team, huh?"

Goron Link rubbed his belly some more and smacked his lips. "I don't suppose you know where you can get more of those? I don't care for the green ones, you can keep the crumbs if you want." He said, picking up the blue "crumb" that fell off his purple meal. "The Moblin police make sure to remove any and all shrubs and stray rocks from the city, leaving me with nothing to scavenge for..." and he chomped the blue rupee. "It'f wheirfd." he said, with his mouth full. "I don't understand why they'd started doing that, because now I might have to leave and go live in the desert! Getting rid of me can't be the sole purpose of their intent!"  
Link pulled out the rest of the rupees and handed them over, smiling. Goron Link stomped about and praised, then gobbled them right up, leaving no "crumbs". Link picked up the three green rupee crumbs left on the ground, nodded in departure, and slowly walked home, taking in the environment; keeping watch on the activities around him, eyes open for the first time.

* * *

**Chapter VI: Mixed Memories  
**

* * *

_Things are getting interesting, but I'm not convinced it's all that.  
And whats up with these weird chapter segments?_  
_Is there some sort of pattern?_

* * *

When Link got home some time past 10:00 that night, his mother was waiting at the kitchen table, worried sick. He'd opened the door and tossed his satchel beside it and his mother was in a joyous panic, "Oh, Link! You're home! I was so worried about you! Where have you been all day? I got a call from Cremia saying you'd been a big help at the ranch, but that was all I've heard from you since! That was twelve hours ago!" She ran up and squeezed a worried motherly embrace around Link, then sighed with both relief and regret. "You're growing up fast... Too fast for mom to keep up with you anymore... I guess it's time you got some more freedom, huh?" She said with a heavy heart. "Your allowance isn't going to be enough for you anymore, and I thought of you when I saw this Olde Hyrulean style wallet. I was so worried about you, but I thought it through. I think the wallet helped me come to the conclusion that you're going to be a man some day." She continued, speaking more for herself than for Link. "I think you'll be better able to learn about growing up with a bigger wallet..." She said handing it over to him. "It's not much, but I'd feel better knowing you had something to stay in touch with your 'mommie'..." Inside it was a GameBoy. Link stared at it for a while. "You can only call home right now, but if you bring it to me later, I'll add your friends' numbers, but you need to only use it in emergencies. Okay?" Link stared at it a moment longer before nodding in affirmation.

At the dinner table, a cold plate of pasta sat where Link would have sat that evening. "You can still warm it up, it will still be good, I had it covered when you didn't show up for dinner." His mother said, ascending the stairs. "I'm going to bed, and so are you, as soon as you finish eating, washing up and changing into your jammies." Link smiled and rolled his eyes- both sarcastically amused, and genuinely happy. Plus, the pasta was great, and just exactly what he needed.

The next morning, Link was abruptly awoken by a familiar tune coming from an unfamiliar location. He fumbled around his desk and found the new phone. It was ringing at 6:00 AM. He opened it up and put it to his ear, but nothing happened. It made another sound, not a tune this time, right in his ear. he studied it a moment and saw, on the tiny GameBoy screen, "1 new text". so he fiddled with it and found the text. it read:

** "**I forgot to explain it better: You cant actually make any calls except emergency calls - you can text me, and when i add your friends' numbers, you can text them too. but phone calls are limited to emergency services only. - going to the store, we're out of eggs and batter. be back soon!

~mom**"**

Link groaned and rolled over back into bed. Lay still for a moment, groaned some more, and lazily swept his feet over the edge of the bed and slouched. He rubbed his forehead and groaned again as he began stretching his arms out behind him and leaning from one side to the other and groaning, protesting his hope-dashed awakening; having hoped he could have slept in. Hopping out of bed, he reached for his toes and then arced his back and fell against the bed. He lay awkwardly leaning against the side of his bed a moment before shoving the new phone into his pocket and heading down the stairs.  
There was still cereal and milk in the cupboards, so Link made himself a breakfast, taking his time to enjoy it, finishing his food shortly before his mom had returned with groceries. While mom put away some fruit and bread, Link helped put the eggs and batter away, and his mom noted the cereal was still out, "Since you've already eaten, no eggs and waffles for you! Put the cereal away, hon." As Link grabbed the cereal, a Moblin siren could be heard approaching, and a squad car coming from downtown sped past the neighborhood, lights flashing. Link stared out the window, his mother wrenched her hands together, worried. "I might know I have to let you go, but a mother never stops worrying for her children, Link." She approached from behind, "Promise me that even though I'm going to let you make your own decisions... Promise you'll stay safe. Promise you'll let me know you're alright every night. Send a text with your new GameBoy at least once a night." They hugged a long time before Link left the house.

Link was walking north, headed for downtown, several blocks from home, maybe a quarter of a mile. An elderly woman sat, hunched over with a torn blanket acting as a shawl over her back, on the curb at a busy intersection. As Link got close, he could see she was holding torn cardboard with bold black letters "Need Food, Anything Helps" Link placed a hand in his pocket and grabbed some money, but hesitated. He recalled what the Goron had said about it not having "real value". He hesitantly pulled out roughly 13r in paper money and held it out to the old woman. She snorted and coughed, but said nothing, taking the money. He could see she was much older than he had thought, as if as old as time itself. Link awkwardly opened his new wallet and looked inside. The old woman abruptly belted "So what! ...Don't care about ME at all; do ya!" She was glaring. Link withdrew the 3 green rupees with a certain tint of melancholy, and the woman's expression changed, softened. She watched the rupees intently, her eyes widening as Link handed them to her; as if she'd been given mana from heaven. She smiled a toothless grin and put the rupees away in the folds of her clothes, happily cocking her head side to side, as if retracting her previous venom and forgiving herself. "I spoke to soon!" she giggled in her raspy voice. "Today you will have Okay Luck. Watch out for your friends!" She spoke cryptically. Link tried to ignore it, but felt good for helping the old woman out.  
Downtown, the skate park was empty this early in the morning, but beginning to attract attention. The patrolling Goron was asleep under the bridge, traffic was only beginning to pick up in the streets, and Link could see his friend, Krystal, walking high above him, across the main bridge and on her way down to the main street. Link bolted. He hurried up to the intersection to meet her. She saw him and her eyes widened with her smile, "Link!" she called out as she dashed toward him.  
They met up at the intersection and Krystal excitedly spoke while link caught his breath, "What are you doing way out here so early? I don't think I've ever seen you downtown like this before!" Link grabbed his GameBoy and opened it up to show her the text he'd gotten for a wake up call. "Oh wow! You finally have a phone too! You have to text me! Here's my number-" she showed Link how to save her number and abruptly noted the message about input lock, "Oh, looks like you cant just text me, gotta confirm it first... and its passworded, so I cant do that for you... I'll write mine down." She smiled. Abruptly after she exchanged her note she blurted out, "Hey! Come to the shop with me! Someone dropped off the coolest thing I've ever seen! Just last week! You'll want to check it out before someone buys it any day now!"

Link accompanied his friend to The Trading Post, a store her mother owned in the mall, and Krystal ran and managed when her mother wasn't there. Which typically accounted for morning opening time and generally helping with everything after school got out - and during the summer, there were days when Krystal did the job alone, from opening till closing. They had first met there as small children, before Krystal was old enough to help out around the shop, when Link's mother had brought him in to pick his own birthday gift. He'd chosen a small tan ocarina, but had to fight with Krystal for it because she felt it rightfully belonged to her. In the end, she agreed he could have it and "gave it" to him, as a token of their establishing a new friendship, and they had shared it ever since...  
When they arrived, Krystal held up a finger, asking for a moment, and ran through all the opening duties. She unlocked and turned open the mall gate barring the store, flipped on the light switches, checked the register and safe, did a quick bank inventory, and, finally, sat behind the register, smiling at Link. "This is going to blow your mind. I want you to buy it... if you can. I've been holding on to it all week, no one's checked it twice but I cant just give it to you, ya know. But... This one is pretty amazing." She said, pulling out a large glass heart. "Some old lady brought it in here, asking for a silver rupee! Can you believe that? I thought she meant cash, but she looked at me funny, trying to explain what a _rupee_ was! I tried not to laugh at her, and then I had to explain that we don't deal in rupees and the best I could do was money. She seemed real angry, but was happy to take the 100r I offered..." she trailed off intentionally, "Which... is why I can't just _give_ it to you, It's hard to keep the shop open these days, and as much as I want you to have it, I cant keep it on hold for free. Not that you knew till now... but... If you want it, you'll have to either buy it, or pay the holding fee, 10r per day. The lady said it was called a 'Heart Container', and was worth more than she was asking, which seems funny since she was so happy to take the money, regardless." Link frowned and thought hard. He still had almost enough to buy it from his allowance, but was short by about 20r. He pulled out his cash and counted it. Krystal smiled huge "I'll let you pay it off! that is plenty!" She said, grabbing it out of his hands, mid count, on the spot, without shame. He recoiled offensively, but did nothing. "I'll just pull up a tab for you. I know you're trustworthy, so i wont push you for it either." She winked, as she filled out some papers and handed over the Heart Container. Link held it up and looked inside the glass. The red heart inside glowed gently, and in the center, he could make out the symbol of the Triforce etched into the red material behind the glass.

Link was focused on studying the pattern of the Triforce and noticed one triangle begin to glow softly, turning gold. Krystal saw the dim light and started to ask what it was when it flashed bright and caught her question in her throat. The Triforce inside had grown to the full size of the red inner heart, and in the empty center displayed visions of one of Link's past adventures; a young girl with cropped green hair sat on a tree stump, playing a wooden ocarina, looked up and met Link's eyes. She smiled and waved, and the Heart Container disappeared. Krystal didn't see anything except a flash, a strong glow, and- then nothing! The whole thing disappeared entirely! "Wh-hhaht?!" She was staring wide eyed. She couldn't move or speak, that was all she had left. Link was not far from her state of shock. Had he not woven words with Gerudian witches in the woods, nor awakened to dirtier dealings downtown and discussed the details with a derelict Goron, he'd have been completely freaked out by this too. So Link found some stability with one hand, oblivious yet calm, and leaned against the counter Krystal sat at with the cash register. He just stared out into space, as if some fixed point light years away had his undivided attention.


	7. Chapter 7: Unreal Misadventure

The two friends sat in silence for a long time, unable to comprehend what had just occurred, neither having applicable words to speak, and only questions could form briefly in mind before creating more questions that could not even be asked.  
A customer waited for five minutes before clearing her throat, capturing Krystal's attention. She bought a trinket and left, muttering under her breath about the service. Krystal's return to reality was alone, and she nudged Link to join her. He blinked a few times and stood upright at the counter. "You have no idea what happened?" Krystal asked, almost nonchalantly. Link could only shake his head, still dazed. He noticed someone sitting in the mall outside the shop as he shook his head, and slowly returned his gaze to an occupied mall bench. A chill ran down his spine when he noticed the purple T-shirt underneath an unzipped black hoodie, but no thoughts could form. Krystal broke his concentration, "This is going to be a rough day, I think i need to close up and just go home... I cant even think. Not after seeing that..." Her thoughts were evolving mid sentence and she looked to the floor and toyed with her toes. "Would you mind...? Can you walk me home?" Link nodded without a thought of it. Still too shocked to recall off hand that he had never even seen where she lived, let alone been invited to her home.

* * *

**Chapter VII: Unreal Misadventure**

* * *

_More than meets the eye. no wait, is that transformers?_  
_its go time. no, that's some old cartoon. _  
_Besides, its not go time..._  
_Well, stuff is happening, just not as what seems._

* * *

Across the river, a few miles from the ranch, Link and Krystal silently strolled beside each other, one caught up in worry, the other in contemplation, yet both were unaware of being followed. Krystal tugged on Link's shirtsleeve when they came up to an intersection and stoplight. "I've... never brought anyone back to the house with me before..." She started, unsure of how to finish. "You... you were..." She struggled, sighed heavily, and looked away, "You met the forest witches. ... Its the only answer. They trusted you to help Cremia, so I have to... I can trust you too. I should expect you think I'm a terrible friend all these years having never truly trusted you, huh?" Link placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to meet his eyes, and he gently closed them and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, tears came down Krystal's face and she hugged him. "I live in the forest, why don't you lead the way? If you think can find the witches again, that is." She smiled, and dried her tears on his sleeve - as a prank but also to put herself in a better mood.

Link recoiled but didn't actually care, he knew she needed to smile so he played along; and she did. The smile kick started their journey as Krystal nudged Link into the river park beside the 3-way intersection where they'd taken pause. "You know the Double LR is roughly east of here, so just keep going northeast till things look familiar. Normally I'd take the trails, but..." She looked around them and then whispered "i think we're being followed... plus i want to see if koume and kotake remember me..." Link stopped abruptly and looked around. "shhsh!" Krystal whispered "keep walking...!" Link bent over to adjust his shoes, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, then continued.

After 3 miles of pathless forest, small unkempt trails started winding and braiding through the forest, and the pair picked a path to walk. "We're close to the ranch. Does any of it look familiar, Link?" Link's response was clearer to him than to Krystal, as he picked up the pace and started marching. He recognized the path the fairy had led him, and he began to jog... not only retracing his steps, but his pace as well. "Link! Hey!" Krystal called out from behind, "Wait up!" she said as she began to run after him.

As they neared the Witches Hut, Krystal had sudden second thoughts: "wait, maybe I should..." She started to mumble as Midna and Twila emerged from the camouflaged forest home. "That's not Koume and Kotake...!" She whispered sternly to Link. Link smiled and emerged from the forestry, holding up a hand in a frozen wave for the twins. "Link...!" Krystal shouted in a whisper.

"Who's your friend?" Midna and Twila asked. Link turned around to face Krystal who hesitantly approached, then with a combination of courage and anger, approached Midna and Twila directly. "Where's Koume and Kotake? They've lived _here_ all my life. I've never met you two." The twins exchanged a glance mixing concern with doubt. "We've lived here with our aunts all our lives and _we've_ never met _you_-"  
Kotake emerged on her broomstick half cackling; half scolding, half teasing. "Enough! None of you children remember each other because you were too little!" Koume rather used her magic to appear beside her sister with a puff of smoke and a cackle. Kotake turned to glare at her briefly. "It's no surprise you'd forget! Such rivals you were!" Koume spoke, ignoring her twin. Both Koume and Kotake looked toward link and greeted him simultaneously, "Hello, Link."  
They all went inside the tree home, and were greeted with the sweet and pungent smell of brewing potion. "Cremia is doing well, no? We must apologize, my sister and I." Kotake began, followed by Koume, "You see, Cremia is one of few remaining Hylians who is sensitive enough to be affected by the subtle workings of magic." Taking turns talking, "We had maintained a long and lasting friendship with her after we showed her how to make her own potions, but as the years went by..." they swapped, "... The mushrooms ran dry, and we've been searching for them all over the forest, to give to her, without a problem... until 3 years ago."  
Twila and Midna cut in, "That's when a lot of strange things started happening; here in the forest, in corners and dead ends of Hyruletropolis, around the depths of Lake Hylia and it shores, in the Gerudo Desert Wastes, and even deep within Death Mountain. Here, the forest denizens have taken to eating up all our mushrooms and uprooting as many bushes as they can find. In the desert, our family has stopped contacting us; the last thing we heard was they were run out of their home and left to survive in the wastes. A lot of activity in the last 3 years has left our dear aunts terrified of the implications." Their concern for their aunts was both touching and insulting, to which Koume snapped "Terror nothing! We're not scared, just concerned!" Which Kotake argued "Concerned enough to stay locked in our home in the woods and staying well out of sight!" They began to bicker, hovering on their broomsticks, shaking spoons at each other, heading back into the house. "Witch!" one snapped as they disappeared from sight, followed by "Hag!" from the other. Twila and Midna both turned to each other and agreed "Don't ever let me get like that!" simultaneously.  
Twila and Midna hovered over the dead and ashen fire pit, Krystal and Link sat across from each other around it, and the four of them chatted about what they were going to do. No one could come up with any answers, and Krystal remembered she needed to get home.  
"We'll take you." Said Twila and Midna. "Thanks, really." Krystal started, "But we'll be fine. Take care of your aunts. Link will take me home. Right, Link?" She finished, nodding to Link: nodding to her. They all waved to each other, the twins retreated into the house, and Link and Krystal disappeared on the trails leading back to her home. "We should hurry." Krystal stated.

Deep in the woods, the trail started to become overgrown, and Krystal stopped Link. "Hold on. We're almost there, but this is where it gets tricky. We have landmarks we have to remember to find the house. No trails lead there." Krystal took the lead and beckoned for Link to follow her. They passed a few hollow and creepy trees, wrapped around a boulder that hid another tree, just off an overgrown path from the nearby park.  
She wound around the fat tree which blocked the view of a small chasm behind it, further leading off the beaten path and beyond sight. As they descended behind the tree, a Purple Brawler emerged from behind them while he lost sight of their path. He stood around awkwardly, looking for them. Peeked into bushes and around large boulders, scratched his head, and angrily conceded defeat aloud before pushing along the trail in hopes of finding the girl.  
"What was that?" Krystal said, looking back at the distant sharp angry outburst behind them. Link looked back a moment, turned and shrugged, then pushed on. The tiny chasm was easy to enter from behind that fat tree, but the ceiling began to close up overhead almost immediately. They were in more of a tunnel than a mere crack in the ground. "If we kept to the trail back there, we'd eventually wrap around back toward the river. Great fishing spot that way. There are also Forest Zoras who live near there. No one knows much about them though, not even Ruto." The tunnel-chasm began to open up ahead and poured in sunlight and shadows of branches. Tapering into the earth was a giant rock jutting in like a sheathed dagger, leaving the exit with a steep climb.  
"Careful here, it's easier leaving home than coming back!" Krystal giggled. She veered to the left and used a thick vine to stabilize her climb up the steep rock face, and tossed the vine in Link's direction when she got to the top, "It's easier on that side, but as long as you keep ahold of the vine, you'll be fine." She said, gesturing to the left side she'd climbed, then climbed down on the other side.  
When Link reached the top, Krystal was nowhere in sight, while a large log cabin sat in the middle of a sunny glade, surrounded by thick stone and fat trees, submerged in a deep depression in the earth. One way in, one way out. The front door sat ajar and Link felt a tug of panic in his chest. He quickly clambered down and ran to the front door with haste.

Link bolted through the door and fell over Krystal, rolling into her mother and knocking her to the floor as well. Krystal fumed, more confused than furious, "Link! What was that all about?! You just knocked my mom to the floor!" Her mother began laughing. A rounder curvy woman with long braided green hair and a nearly identical face to her daughter. Krystal grinned and stood up, offering her hand to her mother so to help her up as well. Link stayed on the floor, too embarrassed to get back up. "Mom; this is my friend, Link. We met-" Her mother interrupted her with a stiff, upright open palm. "I remember him when you two were too little to remember. It's nice to see that you've reconnected and become friends again!" She smiled.  
"Oh! My name is Saria VI. The women in our family have all been named after our ancestor, because she had been a Sage of the Forest Temple and I'm the sixth generation. Krystal's father named her before I had a chance to explain any of this, so we left it at that..." She trailed off. Krystal hugged Saria "It's okay mom, I love my name as much as I love yours!" Saria smiled halfheartedly then realized Krystal was explaining something important before everyone found themselves on the floor. "Oh! what was that about closing the shop early, Krys? You've never had trouble with customers before..." Krystal interrupted, "It wasn't _a_ customer, exactly... But... Something happened to distract me, and without focus, it will be all of the customers. So I figured it'd be better off if we closed early, rather than have bad service all day."  
Saria was confused and a little upset, "I dont understand. What could have possibly distracted you all day long? Was there an electrical short in one of the light switches, or the register get stuck again?" Saria folded her arms "You know how to fix the cash register, dear..." Krystal was getting impatient "It wasn't anything technical!" and she looked over to Link, in hopes he could bail her out. Her urgent look was enough to do the trick though for the wrong reasons. Her mother snickered "It's okay, I'll let it go. Just don't make a habit out of it, okay? Maybe you can teach Link how to run to shop together?" She winked. Krystal suddenly realized that her mother was trying to hint at something romantic, and she groaned long and loud, "MOOOO-oooooooo-OOOOMMMM!" And pushed her mother into the kitchen, "Link, you know the way? I think you ought to go home..." She fought herself from blushing.  
Link smiled and waved them into the kitchen, left the cabin, closed the door behind him, and took in a deep breath. He stepped off the porch and looked into the trees and skies overhead. Another sigh of relief, and he took off at a steady pace.

Link backtracked from the cabin to the overgrown path and cautiously peeked around the tree. When he was sure no one was around, he hurried down the path, toward the ranch, running as quietly as possible. In his haste, he caught up with a furious shady fellow and slowed down, trying to keep his distance. The man stomped and shouted quietly at himself as he trudged along, so Link pulled back and waited, giving the man ample distance between them.  
He casually took the paths' scenery and atmosphere in as he strolled, enjoying the feel of the woods. His casual pace made the departure trip thrice as long as his arrival time, and the sun was careening into the west, nearly ending the afternoon. Emerging from the woods close to the ranch, Link saw a group of Brawlers gathering by the intersection where he and Krystal had entered the Woods. Waiting to see what they were doing, Link assured himself they weren't going anywhere only after several of them dispersed into town, and two remained, casually jeering at traffic.


	8. Chapter 7 cont'd: Unreal Misadventure

After waiting so long, Link traveled back across the bridge, into downtown. As he passed the two remaining Brawlers, he heard one of them mutter something about him being a little green punk. Ahead of him across the bridge, Link could just barely make out a dark figure hopping over the railing and crawling along side the edge of the bridge. He ran ahead to get a better view, then slowed down and watched once he was close enough to make out the Ninja wrap. He watched, fascinated by the grace at which this mysterious person leapt from the bridge into the trees near by and vanished toward the skate park. Link ran ahead and followed the bridge down the side path before the intersection until he was blocked by a museum separating the bridge path from the main street. He hurried to the park, but could make no sign of any mysterious Ninja in the area. Goron Link on patrol, the familiar blue van under the bridge had just arrived, and several familiar faces started to show up from around downtown for the free food. Link decided to stick around and people-watch again, so he traveled back along the bridge to a pedestrian off ramp of sorts across the street. He scurried over to the park ans sat all the way across the park from the bridge on the empty end, in a quiet corner bench.

Goron Link stopped to chat with a couple on a stroll, Zelda hurried back and forth under the bridge, no signs of brawlers or mafia, the sun was starting to light the dusk horizon with orange and yellow hues, and no signs of ninja either. Link stretched out and stood up in front of the bench. He began doing a few stretches and side twists, and deep breathing. As the couple departed from Goron Link, he raised his hands in a cheer and let out an audible "yahoooph!" as he gobbled up a small gift. Link smiled to himself and touched his toes and inhaled deep.

The park breathed and sighed as people came to eat and dispersed slowly into the falling dusk. Link had remained mostly by the park bench all evening, and approached the van under the bridge. Impa was washing the fold-out tables off and gathering up any napkins, utensils, plates, or other resources left behind as Zelda loaded them into the van. Link walked around one table, toward the van and waited as Zelda loaded a box of canned chili into the back. She turned around to face Link, standing awkwardly beside. They stared at each other for a moment and Impa noticed, waiting for Zelda to return. Finally, she approached, and formally introduced herself and Zelda, "Hello, Link. You've grown a lot since we were all last together. I am Zelda's attendant, Impa."  
Zelda noticed herself staring at Link and interrupted Impa, "I don't suppose you'd remember me either, but I barely remember you, when we were so little..." She trailed off. "My name is Zelda, we were really little when all our parents last met together at the Double LR. I remember you, Link, and our friends, Ruto, Krystal, Malon, and the twins, Twila and Midna... I think Marin is the only one of us old enough to remember anything more, though." Impa had resumed the cleanup while Zelda talked with Link. She mentioned playing games with each other at the ranch long ago, and expressed enjoying the wonders of meeting horses for their first time. Impa cleared her throat and indicated at the tables and gas stoves. Zelda politely excused herself, and Link helped by carrying the collapsible tables into the back of the van.  
Impa thanked Link for his help and entered the driver's seat, while Zelda lingered to talk. "Thank you for the help, Link. I hope you can come help us tomorrow evening, I can give you Impa's cell number so you can stay in touch with me. He took the number she wrote down for him and they waited awkwardly. Impa broke the silence and called for Zelda.

Link waved goodbye as Zelda climbed in and they drove off. Before he could, or perhaps would, turn around to return home, a cyan racer sped past and followed the van a moment before revving past them and disappearing. Link looked back in the direction the car had come and noticed some Cyan Racer jumpsuits walking toward the park from the formerly Brawler shops across the street. Goron Link had noticed too and approached Link, under the bridge. "Relax, kid. They're just leaving. You should go home too."

Link headed back toward his home and fiddled with his new phone. He sent a text to his mom with the time and his location. Then sent another asking to add Krystal's and Zelda's phone numbers to his list. Along his trip, he noticed the same old lady with the blanket shawl walking out of a small store, near his home, and decided to take a look inside. The shop owner was a kind man with a happy demeanor. He turned and greeted Link right away, revealing a large yellow fox mask. "Hello, lad!" he nearly boomed from behind the mask, perhaps trying to startle the kid. "You have the look of a smart kid, so I'll tell ya a little secret!" He placed his hand beside his mask, pushing it aside to show his mouth, and leaned in as Link approached the counter. "There's a magical mask salesman coming to town soon, an' he'll be setting up shop in here. I've got a special deal to promote him by giving away this free mask!"  
Link smiled and put out his hands, but the shop keep continued on, pulling back and letting the mask fall over his mouth again. "But there's a small catch, you see. I need to make a living here, yeah?" me spoke up to compensate for his muffled voice. "I can't give too many away for free, so it's more like a job... I'm passing the torch. You want the mask, you just gotta wear it and try to sell it. If you come back with the money, I can either let you keep the same mask for free, or give you a new one to try to sell. How do ya like that?"

After rolling his head back and forth in thought, Link nodded and took the mask from the man. He then introduced himself as Kafei, stroking his strangely blue hair, "and that is the Keaton Mask. It represents the tricky fox from old stories. Maybe you remember some of them?" then asked if Link was here to buy anything from his shop. Link decided to look around and see what there was. He noticed small and medium bottles, a wooden sword and shield practice set, a Large Olde Hyrulean Wallet, and a Traditional Hunter's Tunic: Medium and Large Sizes.  
Link started to leave, and Kafei asked him "You see anything you like? There's a special discount for employees, you know? Sell the mask, alright?" Link nodded and left for home, wearing the Keaton Mask. He traveled the short trip home, entering his house, when he received his answer to the text about his friends. It was yes.

"Oh good, you're ho-WHOAHHHEE! WHAT ARE YOU?" His mask frightened a sudden response when his mom emerged from the kitchen, so Link took it off. They sat on the couch and laughed. It was 'payday' and Link received his allowance of 20r. His mom took the GameBoy and entered the information he requested then thanked him for giving her a time and location update. "... and since you're proving you can be responsible..." she said, as she gave him two blue 5r bills. " your allowance just got a raise." They exchanged a hug, and she had asked about the mask before Link retired to bed, mentioning something about a Keaton story she grew up with.

The weekend had arrived and the slow weekend mornings in Hyrule meant everyone usually slept in or stayed indoors until lunchtime or later. Link took advantage of the vacant mornings every weekend to practice Parkour. He woke up extra early today for some reason. Probably due to all the excitement about the new Zelda game and his own coincidental experiences as of late.  
Link was up before the sun had even begun to creep out from behind the horizon, and crept about the house softly, so as not to wake his mother; downstairs to the fridge for some milk, he quietly pulled handfuls of cereal out into a bowl, and put the milk back, ever gently closing the fridge as to make no sounds.

He ate as quickly and quietly as he could before taking off. Out the front door, on the front step, Link held his breath as he slowly closed the door, as if taking an hour. Link stretched himself out as he walked, taking extra long strides and walking extra slow, toward downtown for his Weekend Free Run. He looked forward to each run, but this would be the first time going into the city. Usually he'd just go to Ruto's house and back; or just stay and hang out with his friend. Perhaps it was just the recent drama and stimulation, but Link was feeling extra adventurous and decided to explore downtown beyond the mall and skate park.  
Halfway there, the familiar blanket shawl obscures a misfortunate soul, hiding behind a tree, asleep. Link wadded up and left some of that "worthless" money for her, both his 5r bills. He felt a sense of pride when he walked away, and smiled.

He decided he was close enough to Downtown to begin really warming up and started jogging. His travel time drastically changed the morning for him. For one thing, he'd have been running from his house from the beginning if he were going to Ruto's, but because he was not as familiar with the downtown maze of streets, he needed all the energy he could get; at the expense of his morning lull, he realized; once the sun started announcing himself link felt pressured to begin his delayed run. Link's increased pace wasn't satisfactory, he wanted to _run_ already!

Before he was fully 3 quarters of the way there, he took off. He could see the first parking garage, marking the southern border of downtown and decided he'd start there; up and down the stairs, wend his way around and over parked cars, then back down to the street level to explore.  
Link's increased running speed freed his spirit and he smiled inwardly to himself, and did a cartwheel without breaking pace. Smiling outwardly at himself, accomplished, he was getting better at Parkour and felt like trying some stunts for the first time!

Link ran the outer perimeter of the garage and entered, after encircling the whole building; daylight was starting its full swing for the day as the last drop of sun dripped up in the unseen distance outside of downtown. He began encircling the inside of the garage, looking for stairs to the top. He kicked the wall of the open stairwell door frame up to the first quarter-flight landing before the stairs cornered off and turned, gracefully grabbing the hand rail to orbit the turn and keep going up without slowing down.  
Clearing two steps at a time, Link chugged up to the top without any more fancy footwork. He tripped at the top step, but caught himself in time to roll through his fall and keep pace. Very few cars were parked in the garage, and only one at the top, on the other end of the lot; Link dashed over and rolled across the car, testing himself some more. He wrapped around and came to the ramp, gaining a little speed and losing his balance; he had to slow down and felt a little disappointed, but pressed on with peerless enthusiasm.  
He jumped ahead of himself with a dash and cleared a dozen paces down the ramp, landed, and rolled with the momentum, involuntarily jumping again as he cleared the roll, clearing _eighteen _paces down the ramp and landing hard, rolling several paces and stopping flat on his back. His wallet bounced off his person and emptied part of its contents: a cellphone and a green rupee he'd missed earlier. The wallet seemed bigger on the insider somehow...

Link gathered his wallet and returned its contents, sat rubbing his knee a moment, then began stretching again. He didn't want to _really_ hurt himself, since he was nowhere near done running this morning! No, he was going to get his beloved running in and take the time to explore downtown!  
After stretching and walking out of the garage, traffic was starting to creep out as a lone car drove out of downtown as link exited. Back to jogging until he got to the mall 3 blocks up. Not one soul around this early, other than the few passers-through, an occasional stray dog or cat, and Link.

Jogging done, sprinting now; Parkour, Free Running, straight down the sidewalk, past the mall, turn toward the park, turn again just before, at the church, and running north past the vehicle tune-up, board, blade, and bike shop, dojo, and auditorium/theatre, into less familiar territory... Time to break off the beaten path. Link curved around a corner into an alleyway, where downtown mysteriously changed into a labyrinth... Luckily, he'd run right into a dead end, nothing but some sort of commercial back door, and simply turned around. However, to his astonishment, he turned around to find himself on an entirely different street! He stopped abruptly and looked around his shoulder. The dead end had also changed into a T-corner. Link felt a sense of dread creep up on him and looked around to find some landmarks. He turned around twice, he didn't know where he was, except that a "Navi's Curio" shop was across the street from him and featured a crystal ball on a pole for a store sign. That stood out enough, that Link's confidence had returned. He had the courage he needed to finish his run.

Link took a deep breath and held it for a moment, almost as if expecting something to come running out of the alley behind him. But when nothing happened, he turned and exhaled sharply with a burst of speed as he took his first step forward, and dashed into the wall where the brick alley split: Left or right..? ... and kicked off the wall with a left hand turn into the alleyways of Hyruletropolis.  
He nearly collided with the parallel wall in the narrow alley and considered for a gleeful moment that he could wall kick his way through if he wanted. As he came up to another 3 way T-split. He took the left hand path again and noticed Navi's Curio pass him on his left hand side in an alleyway transfer, stopping him dead in his tracks. He'd already cleared the corner, and when he turned around to look back out the exit, he saw another sight all together: The Hyrulean museum. His jaw dropped, and he stood still, petrified. This was, at the very least, a familiar sight, so he was quickly confident again, knowing he'd be able to get home as long as he stuck to the streets and stayed well away from the alleys. He found a little courage and broke the paralysis.


	9. Chapter 7 cont'd: Unreal Misadventure!

Link found an additional surprise when he rounded the alleyway exit, only to bump into Impa and Zelda! He'd nearly collided with Impa, running so fast; but she had surprisingly lightning fast reflexes for her age and managed to dodge within a hair of a second of making contact..! Link tried to correct himself, to compensate for his speed he thought he'd halt all at once. Rather than colliding into Impa, as he expected, he wound up losing his balance and tripping over himself. He rolled forward a pace and stopped sideways on his ribs, looking up at Zelda. Although her reaction seemed as if expectant, Impa was just as surprised to see Link as he was to see her and Zelda; however, much more concerned and composed. "Did you just come from that alleyway, young man?" She asked, sternly. Link half recoiled but nodded, standing up and brushing himself off.

Impa was very solemn, concerned for Link, and tried to explain the danger, "Lad, I wouldn't return there if I were you." She stated, pointing back into the narrow alleyway. "Downtown Hyruletropolis was built on top of almost half of the Lost Woods, this side of the river... ... Where concrete, steel, and asphalt cover the ground, no magic can take hold... But in the old days of Hyrule, before it became a metropolis and yet after it grew beyond a simple township: Everything was built with brick, wood, and stone. The Lost Woods were named for the people who mysteriously disappeared after venturing into them... Unlike metal, cement and blacktop, stone and wood are alive and channel magic as well as the air and water do... Brick amplifies it in the direction of its laying. Legends say that those who entered the lost woods would become Stalfos... Everyone who entered... Stalfos..." She seemed to gaze off into an unseen distance. "Oh, listen to me, going on about magic, you must think me an incompetent boob..." But fell short when she became self conscious in a sudden awkward moment of uncharacteristic doubt.

"Pardon the history lesson, I've come with the- young miss, to give her another lesson, it's already strong in mind." she smiled awkwardly, continuing. "But never the less: Hyruleans continue to get confused and lost, sometimes one or two will even disappear, if they find themselves in the alleyways... As they had in the old days of Hyrule City... Just as they had in the ancient Lost Woods... I hope you don't get lost as well..." Zelda stamped her foot impatiently "Well? Can we invite him in or at least get _going_ already? You said you had something to show me here!" Zelda childishly scolded Impa, turned and smiled brightly at Link, "Hi Link!" and smiled with her eyes.

"Have you ever been in the Museum of Hyrule before?" Zelda asked him, scooting past Impa. Link nodded as Zelda continued without really waiting for his reply, "Impa told me the spires on the corners of the building were moved from the original castle, back in the old days when the town... and now I learned it was made of brick." smiling again with her eyes, cheerful and bright. Although her smile faded along with her sentence as she continued, "... and that we were here, today, to learn some _important_ stuff..." seeming concerned with its importance. "Wanna hang out?" she asked, slowly reaching for his hand.

Link nodded his head again and Zelda suddenly grabbed his hand and ran up the steps toward the door, leading him in, calling impatiently for Impa behind her, who slowly followed up shaking her head. Zelda wanted to show Link the statue of the King and ran him straight to it before relinquishing her grasp. She stopped and stared up at it a while, silent, and awestruck; Link stared at her, confused. He looked up at the statue as well, and Zelda started explaining herself, still staring, gaze fixed.

"Sorry I ran you in here like that, I hope I wasn't, _too_, rude..." the pause was a bit long, "Impa told me she needed to explain things to me today... I was confused at first when she said we had to be at the museum for me to understand." She took a few steps back, still focused on the King's statue, still staring at his face. "But when I thought about my dreams I've had in the last few seasons..." Link walked back with her and stood beside her, listening, "I asked her if it had anything to do with the Royal Family. She seemed surprised, and maybe wasn't supposed to tell me then, maybe not until now, right here."

Impa had caught up and crossed the threshold into their hall, "Truly, I was not, but your question implied you'd been having dreams and visions." She said, catching their attention. "I felt pressed from both sides of my duty, I told you why you were named after _The Princess_ Zelda from ancient Hyrule." Impa turned sternly to face Link as she approached the two, "Link, your name has become a thing of rarity amongst Hylians, more common for Humans and Gorons to be named Link in the last hundred years than your people, said to be bad luck for a Hylian. You two are not here together today by mere coincidence, and I am worried that you must leave now, Link. Perhaps it will be explained to you better in the future, but, my apologies, you should go. The museum has given me special privileges to open and close its doors, and this is not a public opening."

Link felt abashed, and awkwardly departed from his friends. Leaving the museum, he stared at the alley for a moment, wondering if he dared betray Impa's warning, his mind wandering to untold travels beyond Hyruletropolis, getting lost in the brick laden corridors, but turned to face the river instead, figuring he'd pay Ruto a visit today after all - An extra long route now. Link was pretty tired from the long pause in his run, so he sat on the steps and took a breather, got up after a few minutes and began stretching. He built his energy up quickly, warming himself up, and then took off immediately, no jog start.

He heard a call from behind him a moment later but ignored it, and rounded the corner to run past the skate park. He did a lap around the park, nodding his head in acknowledgement to Goron Link on his way past him and then headed back toward the mall where this day really began. He arrived at the mall and saw Krystal, on her way in the doors to open shop. She didn't see him and he didn't slow or say hi. Rounding the next corner toward the parking garage he slowed pace since traffic was starting to appear and the light ahead was red. As soon as it was green and the cars were clear, he dashed across the intersection and entered the garage. Many more parked cars filled the garage than this morning, so he tried his hand at some stunts again, weaving in and out of tight spaces between cars, rolling across roofs and jumping and sliding across hoods. An alarm startled him and he stumbled, rolled, and corrected himself, then exited the garage, all without breaking pace.

He got back onto the main street as it merged with the one he'd just come out of the garage onto, and found the old lady standing directly in his path on the sidewalk, staring directly at him; as if deliberately blocking him. He didn't want to be disrespectful or run into her and had to stop. So he did stop, directly in front of her; and she smiled, cackled gleefully, and told him he'd have incredible luck today, then got out of his way, still laughing. He stepped past, awkwardly, watching her from the corner of his eye.

Link was roughly a quarter of his way home from the garage, from downtown. Kafei's General Store was near here, and Link had his allowance on him. So he went in, wearing the Keaton mask, and bought an empty small bottle for 20r. "You shoulda sold the mask, kid! that bottle would have been 5r off for you if you had! Shame... Keep trying!" Kafei delighted to encourage the boy. "You look tired, have some water with that bottle" he finished, filling his bottle for free. "Come back if you need some more." Kafei told Link as he left the store.

Link drank down the water and felt instantly refreshed, so he didn't bother stretching and jumped right into sprinting. Again he thought he'd heard a holler, but again, it wasn't concerning him enough to stop after he'd already begun sprinting. He ran straight along the sidewalk all the way past his home and down toward the lake. Since there wasn't any real hurry, he didn't cut across the field or swim through the lake, but instead followed the main street until it turned into country road and lead along the river east of it.

He slowed to a jog and enjoyed the scenery of overgrown, grass and wide open field at the city's edge. His neighborhood was right there on the edge of civilization, between the rural country south of Hyruletropolis and the downtown urban sprawl north of Lake Hylia. It had been a very exhausting run, from Downtown to his house. As the lake came into view, he knew his jogging was over, and walked the rest of the way to Ruto's house.

Across the old covered bridge where the river split the lake into two large bodies: Lake Hylia to the east and Lake of Ill Omen to the west of the fork. Locals, however, never separated the two bodies, and considered them both one large lake. The impoverished Zoras who lived in coral-and-metal shanties built on top of an island in the west end of the lake all say the same thing: That "Ill Omen" is nothing more than a spiteful insult directed at the homeless Zoras who were kicked out of their own homes generations ago.

As he exited the other end of the covered bridge, he heard a shout this time "Link! Wait up!" Link realized Zelda had followed him all the way from the Museum and was calling after him the whole way! He turned around to see a huffing and exhausted young Zelda, hunched over, trying to catch her breath. "hhhh... And I thought Impa's... whew... training was intense... hha...wwwhh you're unreal!" She looked up, eyes heavy from exhaustion "Link, I-" she started, but hunched over again, breathing hard, still chasing her breath. Link quickly crossed the bridge again, back to her side, and lent a shoulder for her to lean on, smiling for her. "Thanks, Link. I think we should find some place to Talk..."

The way she emphasized 'talk' suggested important matters, but Link was still set on visiting Ruto. He nudged her toward town, looking in the general direction of Ruto's house. Zelda nodded and they slowly walked to the young Zora's home in silence.

They arrived at the same moment as Ruto, who was returning with a basket full of fish. She smiled warmly for Link and invited the pair in. "If you don't mind eating fish, you can stay for dinner too." she said to the both of them. Link helped Zelda to a chair and Ruto spoke to her "Zelda, right? We were all such little babies when we met, huh?" Zelda smiled "You remember! It's nice to meet you again, Ruto!" They smiled at each other, and Ruto asked if they'd stay for dinner. "I eat mine raw, of course, but I'll start a fire for you to cook yours." Zelda thanked her and Ruto got to work chopping up the fish and preparing them for the fire in an adjacent room.

Zelda became serious "Link." She initiated. He gave her his undivided attention, waiting on her words. Zelda fidgeted some before continuing, "Impa said my family are the descendants of the Ancient Royal Family of Hyrule, and that... I am, a rightful princess...!" Ruto was shocked and poked her head out, staring at Zelda and Link for a moment, unnoticed by the two as Zelda continued on, "She told me this morning before we ran into you... That's what she wasn't supposed to tell me, but it gets worse, Link!" Ruto darted back and got busy trying to ignore the story and focus on the fish, flustered and anxious.

Zelda stood up "Impa's always kept a close watch over me and taught me all kinds of important things and ways of taking care of myself. I used to think she was insane with her level of training and teaching and history lessons! But now I see why she did it all... She told me things today that I'm not supposed to tell you, not anyone... but... I know in my heart that I must. The right thing to do... I wonder if anyone knows... what the right thing is..? I feel this is right! You're going to save Hyrule!" Ruto involuntarily quipped a stifled squeal and caught Zelda's attention, who started to blush. Zelda opened her mouth to make an excuse, but Ruto held up a fin and spoke on top of her "I- It's okay, Zelda... We have a lot in more common than you'd think. My parents adopted me when I was very little. They found me floating down the river not far from downtown. They waited till I was ten years old to tell me that they found me in a basket and that I was wearing the Zora's Sapphire around my neck..."

This time it was Zelda who squealed, "Oh! So you are a Princess of the Zora people!" She happily exclaimed "This is too good to be true! Link, do you know what this means?!" Link stared back with a vacant look. "ugh!" Zelda cried out in disgust. Ruto covered a laugh. "Ruto can help you save Hyrule too!" Link held up his hands and began to back away. "You want to help us, don't you?" He was trapped between himself and his heart - He didn't want to betray his friends, let alone all of Hyrule, but he was scared that this was too much for one boy to handle. "Don't worry, Link! You'll always have your friends to count on!" Ruto encouraged, though he looked worried still! "Yeah! We'll be there with you every step of the way helping however we can!" Zelda finished. It was decided, and he saw there was no fighting it, Link confidently nodded with his hands on his hips. Both girls ran up and hugged him, knocking all three to the floor.

After eating the smoked salmon Ruto had brought home, Link and Zelda warmly waved goodbye and began walking back home. "I live on the north side of the downtown area, do you think you could walk me home?" Zelda asked as they cleared the covered bridge. "I managed to lose Impa after I lost you and found you again in the skate park..." She giggled "So I cant expect her to know where I am and show up in the van. Besides, after taking off on her like that, I don't want to call her and rush _into_ trouble either." Link involuntarily laughed out loud. He smiled and nodded, and Zelda held his hand.

As Link's suburban community came into view, so too did a cyan racecar; barreling down the road, well over the speed limit. It barely made it past Link and Zelda before the squealing of rubber could be heard as the driver slammed on the breaks. The car peeled out and swerved around, toward the kids, halted, then peeled out, spun around, and sped off. "That was weird..." Zelda said with heavy concern, squeezing Link's hand. They continued silently for an hour, past Link's neighborhood and into town. The same car came speeding past from ahead of them a second time and slammed on its brakes again. Zelda squeezed Link's hand much more tightly and scooted closer to him, leaning to his ear. "I think we need to run." she whispered. The car peeled out again and spun around in front of the kids. Link kept walking slowly as the driver and passenger opened their doors. The children trudged past the car and the driver called out "Hey! Where do you think you're going? You're not gonna walk past us and ignore us like that!" They kept walking slowly, and the passenger spoke up "Yeah! See, yer in our territory now! You were saw walking out in the suburbs. Like, that's our turf now. Walkers gotta pay us racers to walk on our race courses!" He was referring, of course, to the streets themselves. They had walked just far enough and needed to run now "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" The driver yelled, Prompting Link to tug on Zelda's hand, as if to say "NOW!" and they bolted. "HEY! Get them!" The driver shouted more.

Link and Zelda dashed past the parking garage, down toward the mall, turned at the theater and entered a new place, somewhere Link had never been before. He slowed, and Zelda instructed, "Follow me!" as she turned the corner ahead. They ran hard, the cyan racers not far behind them, catching up to them. "Hurry! We'll lose them in the alley!" Zelda called out as they turned the next block. Navi's Curio was ahead across the street from them and Zelda darted into the alley. Link followed close behind, scared he'd lose her, scared they'd get lost.

She turned to the right at the T then Left at a 4 way intersection. They ran through a narrow passage with dumpsters on either wall, which link jumped onto one, off it to the next, skidding across it. Zelda simply avoided everything and dashed as fast as she could. She then ran straight past another 4 way intersection, turned left at a T, and then right again. The alleyway curved to the left for a long and wide arc, which Link ran across the wall for half the curve. When it straightened out, it blocked off with a Locked door. They ran straight into a dead end. "Oh no!" Zelda cried out.

They turned around and the Racers, hot on their heels, stopped, withdrawing a crowbar and a chain, threatening the children's lives. Link stepped forward and raised his fists. The driver couldn't resist it and started cracking up, easing his buddy's poise a little in the process, lowering both their guards. "guffaw! This kid! hahaha! Guy! You get a load of this kid? thinks he can protect his _girlfriend,_ like, against both of us?! I like you, you got guts, kid! bwaahahahahaha!" The passenger raised the crowbar high above his head to strike Link.


	10. Chapter 8: Real Misadventure

The driver dropped the chain and held his hand out, blocking the crowbar. "Wait, this kid could join us, whadda ya say? Let's give him a chance to prove himself." Then raised his fists as well "C'mon, Kid, have at it! take your swing!" The passenger dropped the crowbar with a loud clang and Link lunged into the Cyan Racer, only to get knocked back suddenly, not even seeing what hit him. The driver's eyes crossed and he laughed drunkenly, stumbled barely a raised footstep, and fell to the ground in a crumpled and goofy heap beside his partner, who was also subdued.

"You know better than to enter the alcoves, _princess_. Escort your friend inside, you're both lucky I showed up when I did." Impa scolded from the outer perimeter of the alleyway alcove. She was carrying a wooden sword and shield, presumably used to knock the cyan racers unconscious. "Follow Zelda, she'll instruct you to wait for me. I've contacted your mother, and you'll be staying with us for a while." Zelda ran ahead toward her home in this new neighborhood which had replaced the curving alcove. Link hesitated briefly and followed... The Princess.

* * *

**Chapter VIII: Real Misadventure**

* * *

_Whoa, that was long... why was it "3 chapters"? Maybe, kind of like a TV show?  
It would need "to be continued" at the end of each page/chapter though..._  
_I'm starting to dig it...But, if that chapter was 'unreal'...  
Then what does that make this chapter...?_

* * *

Impa halted him momentarily, holding out her hand. "One more thing. Link, These are risky times. It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." Link swallowed hard, took the sword and shield, bowed politely toward Impa, and turned to follow Zelda, jogging to catch up.  
Zelda and Impa lived in a simple home, 2 stories and a basement; you could tell it had a basement from the outside, because of the ground level slats-for-windows at the basement ceiling, near the ground. She was standing on the bottom step waiting for Link to catch up, "C'mon, Link! I'll show you around." She ran up and opened up the house, standing inside the threshold. Link casually followed her up, but before he knew it Zelda had his hand and was ushering him through the living room, while pointing out and naming Impa's decorative Sheikah weapons and an impressive Gerudian guard's Scimitar Staff. She pointed down the hall before they entered the kitchen, "Bathroom, bedrooms." she said on their way in, pausing briefly as she described everything he saw himself. "The back door is beside the door to the stairwell. Stairs are on the left, back door is on the right. Beside the doors is the dining nook we use for breakfast and supper." She said, pointing as she went. "Upstairs is used for storage, and a small library Impa keeps for me, basement is where you'll be staying..." She abruptly stopped and suddenly turned around "In the dungeon!" She said menacingly as possible, but started to laugh just at the end.

Impa came in shortly behind them and scolded Zelda, "He'll be staying in the adjacent room beside the Dojo, plenty comfortable, young miss. Go upstairs and research Kaepora Gaebora's notes in the Book of Mudora." She turned to Link once Zelda left. "You're going to train with me while Zelda is upstairs studying. I will not allow you to get sucked into her fate without ample preparation. Today, you will get used to staying here; understanding where everything is, where you'll be sleeping, familiarizing yourself with your new equipment, and learning your limitations. I expect you to be ready for supper by the afternoon. We will be gone in the evenings; this is your only free time to practice alone, don't waste it. I _will_ test you when we return each night." Impa opened the door on the left and held it for Link. He followed the stairs down and Impa followed close behind, further guiding him, "There is a closet full of wooden targets you may use during instruction and free training, and spare wooden shields and swords if you break yours, but please, do try not to. Your room is located at the far end behind the dojo."

The basement was a wide open and largely empty room with two walls lined with mirrors forming a L of mirrors and an X of reflections. Link didn't see the closet, let alone the room he'd been assigned. He walked to the center of the room, stopped, looked around, and waited. Impa approached the center of the dojo, beside him, turned to face the mirrors on one wall and walked straight forward. She slid a mirror aside, revealing a modest room: Bed, light switch to the ceiling light, small dresser topped with a TV, consoles, and Nintendo games, and enough empty room to stretch in all directions. Link walked toward the room, Impa returned to the center of the Dojo.  
After inspecting things briefly, Link approached Impa, who spoke as he neared "From the center of the room approach the mirrors, there lies the closet; or your room, depending on the wall you choose." And pointed to the other mirrored wall. Link took the instruction implied and walked that direction, to the wall. There, he found a sliding mirror concealing another concealed space, the closet was found. Two log dummies rolled out gently.

Impa approached the supply closet, "Before we begin, allow me to explain how to best utilize your equipment." She said, putting the dummies back and closing the mirrored door. "Young as you are, I cannot expect you to have ample strength enough, to carry everything expected of a hero, so listen closely: You would have no trouble at all carrying the wooden training sword and shield, but if you were to attempt to take on a full sized sword or shield, you would require both arms to use just one or the other. Additionally, you have that useful satchel, which can only carry a limited amount of weight. The legendary weapons the goddesses crafted will not all fit in such a small space. If you have to leave anything behind in your journeys, know that monsters will hunt for your weapons and relics to return them to guarded treasure chests and booby-trapped dungeons. Ganon's minions have grown increasingly vigilant over the centuries." She paused and inspected Link's newly equipped weapons, making sure he had a firm grip. "Which is why I must train you just as vigilantly!" She shouted as she jumped back and revealed a pair of wooden weapons of her own, as if out of nowhere. "I will not go easy on you, boy. This is your only example, next I will use it against you. Hold your sword like so." She held her sword out in her right hand in a prepared stance. "and your shield like this." Shaking her left arm to prompt the shield's poised position. "When you strike, you have four basic attacks:" She said, exemplifying each one as she explained it "Cutting vertically, Slashing Horizontally, Stabbing, and the technique I used to subdue the riffraff in the alley, the hilt strike. You can also utilize your shield to accomplish the same stunning blow as your hilt. Now you try."

Link clumsily swung the sword with his right hand and nearly dropped it. Setting it down, he traded his shield and picked the sword up with his left hand. This time he cut through the air with sturdy precision. Vertical cuts, horizontal slashes, stabs, and blunt strikes. When he showed Impa he could do what she showed him, without warning she shot at him with her sword for a quick cut. Link barely dodged it by rolling aside, but couldn't resist her follow up from behind while he exited the roll.

Rather than striking, Impa sheathed her sword, "You understand the basics well enough to practice alone while Zelda and I tend to the park downtown. I will show you how to block next." She rose her shield in front of herself and instructed Link to stab at her. Link did and she blocked it with her shield. "You have a strong strike. This shield would not withstand ten of your blows. Just as your shield would break past its threshold, so too will your sword. The wooden targets are sturdier than your sword and can take more blows than a wooden sword can deliver. I must prepare dinner for you and Zelda. I wont usually ask this, but try to break your sword at least once while I am upstairs. So that i know you have endurance enough to last in a fight: Outlast your sword!" She returned her wooden sword and shield to the closet and retrieved two wooden dolls for Link, bowed politely, and went about, up the stairs.

Link dragged the dummies into the middle of the room, one at a time, and proceeded to cut and slash them as hard as he could. He swung and swung, knocked one over and slashed the next. Swinging harder and harder, he lunged in for a stab and dropped the sword upon impact. A short but intense burst of energy, he sat down for a moment to catch his breath, picked up the sword, righted the fallen wooden dummy, and retreated several paces. He took a deep breath, bowed to the wooden target, and ran at it as Impa had run at him. He slashed the target and spun around to cut it, stepped back into the second target and smashed his hilt against it from behind, turned, and slashed the second target, successfully shattering his training sword for the first time.

He felt a strong sense of pride. Breathing heavily, he wiped his brow and smiled to himself. Or as to himself he _thought_; Zelda smiled as well, silently watching from the bottom of the stairs. Link was short of breath and just stood there, internally admiring his success as she approached quietly behind him. "That was quite impressive, Link." She said sincerely; a welcome startling, his shocked eyes and confused smile revealed to her. "Impa doesn't know i'm down here... I wanted to see if you were as strong as I thought you were... and to give you this..." She held out her hands, revealing a small empty pendant made up of a soft golden spiral. "It's one of three pendants which will help the Hero of Time... Although I'm not sure how... yet. just... not yet." She looked warily behind herself "I better get back upstairs before Impa finds out I'm not buried in an avalanche of books." she said, hesitated a moment, smiled at Link, and quickly and silently ran up the stairs. Link returned to his sword and shield practice.

Impa, Link, and Zelda all ate supper together in the kitchen dining nook beside the back door; while Impa explained that Link would be wisest to remain inside and train, but welcome to explore none the less. She cautioned that if he were to leave the house, it would automatically lock behind him, and he would be unable to re-enter until Zelda and herself had returned.

Watching them leave in the blue van from the window, Link waved and smiled at Zelda, who smiled and waved back. With such an overwhelming adventure staring him in the face, Link felt tiny, dwarfed. He needed to get some air, but didn't want to be locked out. Thought a moment, reflecting on something Impa had cautioned him about earlier, and decided he should have the equipment closet downstairs inspected if he were to leave.

He thought the sword and shield would suffice, and opened the mirrored door. He found the sword and shield he was looking for and spied some other weapons buried behind wooden targets: a bag of Deku nuts, and two individually marked bags that said "bullet seeds", one green, the other blue. He inspected them, but they were empty. There were 10 Deku Nuts, so he took them and the bag they came in. While he was there, he figured he'd swing the sword around and get familiar with carrying it. He watched himself in the mirror, slowly moving the sword around, getting a feel for it. Vertical, horizontal, stab. All very slow movements. He nodded to his reflection, turned, and left.

Up the stairs, in the kitchen, he filled his small bottle with some water, and his large bottle with milk from the fridge, before taking off for his breather. He needed to get familiar with the area and find a quiet place to unwind. Link left the house and heard the latch behind him drop heavily. Off the front step, he looked around briefly, checking out the neighborhood. This house was one removed from a corner lot. The direction he'd come from earlier, from the alleyways. He decided to peek at the dead end where the commercial back door was, since there wasn't much in the area but homes and streets. Around the corner, back the way he'd come. He stood in front of the alleyway, staring at it a moment. He had no idea how to get back here or where he would wind up if he entered again. Staring longer, Link considered deliberately losing himself in the alleys on an endless journey through... whatever lay beyond. But only for a moment before turning and leaving.

On either side of the alley were shops. One was a grocery market, the other was clothing and accessories. From the clothing shop came an attractive teenage girl with tan skin and red hair, wearing black shorts and tank top. She seemed in a hurry, ignored Link, turned down the street, and got in her car. He watched her drive away, oblivious of him staring at her the whole time. He thought she looked familiar and had hoped he would be recognized, but nothing happened. He walked along the sidewalk in the opposite direction for a while, eventually passing a hospital.

The next neighborhood was mostly homes, with only a few small shops every several blocks, and only on the one street. Other streets led down dead ends and into cul-de-sacs, and neighborhoods lined with homes. A couple asphalt paved alleyways gave Link a chill as they made him think of the brick alcoves. He came to a busy intersection after walking for a long time, where the other side of the street looked more like the downtown area, with commercial buildings and offices hugging the streets. He noticed a shadowy figure emerge from the alleyway between a tall, fancy office building sporting big bold letters reading "**_Gorman Bros_****.** HYREALTY", and a small office called "Doutor's" with no indication as to its services. Link backed himself against the corner of a building and watched. The figure, staying low and moving quickly, darted from tree to tree, lamp post to traffic signal, traffic sign to mail box; until a fire escape offered a higher vantage point. This person did not notice Link watching them, but showed vigilance, always looking over their shoulder and making pause to scan the area around them. Once the coast appeared to be clear, they gracefully ascended the fire escape, as if flying, using it as merely an apparatus before they finally jumped onto the rooftop of a lower adjacent office and vanished around the corner.

Link gave chase, running across the street and dashing for the next intersection. By the time he had reached the corner, the ninja had vanished. Not a sign on rooftops nor in dark corners on street level. Link sighed and dropped his shoulders, disappointed. He trudged along a moment before realizing he was being watched. He felt eyes on his back and turned around, but there was no one there.

* * *

**_*perspective shift*_  
**

* * *

Impa stood behind Zelda, waiting for her to finish her chapter. "Very good, your training will begin after we eat. I must change your routine today to include that you be on the watch out for our guest; your friend. If you see him, try to guide him back to the house, and test his perceptive abilities. If he chases you, lead him back, and open the house while both trying to lose him and guide him. Do not enter home, do not follow him in, but convince him the house has been entered before him..." She seemed to have more to say but cut short, "Continue your studies. I will call you for dinner." -

- Impa, Link, and Zelda all ate dinner together in the kitchen dining nook, Impa explained that Link would be wisest to remain inside and train, but welcome to explore none the less. She cautioned that if he were to leave the house, it would automatically lock behind him, and he would be unable to re-enter until Zelda and herself had returned.

Watching them leave in the blue van from the window, Link waved and smiled at Zelda, who smiled and waved back. "Your day begins now, Princess." Zelda grumbled "Are you going to call me that from now on? I don't like it." She said, climbing in back. "Just change, miss, I'm pulling over around the corner." Impa said, smoothly controlling the van along the neighborhood.

Zelda finished changing her out of her outfit into Ninja Wrap and pulled her mask over her mouth, nodding to Impa as she opened the van door. She darted out and dashed back toward the previous street and into the shadows of the alley ways. Once in, she turned around and left, emerging in the run down outskirts of West Hyruletropolis. She spent no time and jumped back in the alley, avoiding any chance of being seen. She, again, turned to exit, but paused to catch her breath. Her heart pounded but she ignored it as she emerged between two offices downtown.  
Staying low and moving quickly, Zelda darted from tree to tree, lamp post to traffic signal, sign to mail box, until a fire escape offered a higher vantage point. She looked over her shoulder from this vantage point and scanned for anyone who might see her movements, before she moved on, leaping down to a near by rooftop. She kept low, approaching the edge, scanning for company.

She watched Link run past and instinctively knew he was following her, recoiling from sight. Now _she_ followed _him_. After his running all the way from downtown to Lake Hylia, she knew he was going to prove special. Using techniques learned from Impa's training, Zelda hid in many awkward locations and stealthily stalked him until he sensed her. He trudged along a moment before realizing he was being watched. He felt eyes on his back and turned around, but there was no one there. Zelda prepared herself to attack him, retrieving her throwing needles, waiting for him to turn back around and catch him immediately in his shock.

Link slowly stiffened, sensing someone behind him, and drew his sword and shield. He turned swiftly, defiantly, reversing Zelda's plans on her and they stared each other down; Link breathed heavy a moment, shock caught in his chest, Zelda gripped the fine needles in her hands, crouching low, concealing her intentions. She blinked, Link Swallowed hard, and Zelda instantly darted forward and threw a handful of needles at Link. Link tried to roll aside but caught one in the leg, and immediately torqued around in pain, but used the momentum to raise his shield and protect himself.

He pulled the needle out then stood up, holding the shield in front of him, blocking a second handful of needles successfully. He ran ahead to strike, but Zelda performed a backflip and dodged his swing. She then rushed forward and struck his core with open palms. He doubled back, winced, and coughed. Looking up, he watched the ninja turn and run. He tried to sublimate the pain and gave chase, trying to catch up.

Zelda lead the way back home, corner after corner, keeping Link close enough to see her, but far enough to keep him running. They rounded the last corner and she dashed ahead and pulled out her key. As soon as she made it to the front door, she unlocked it, opening it a hair, then ran around back of the house. Link saw the ninja curve down Zelda's street, and dashed ahead faster, putting his sword and shield away. He ran faster, rounding the corner just in time to see some bushes near their house rustle. He ran on, toward the front step, and noticed the door was ajar. He halted and curiously approached the door. He felt a slight sense of dread mixed with suspicion, and stopped entirely on that front step. He looked around and drew the sword again. Frowning, he turned to face the street again and scanned the neighborhood. There were no cars parked anywhere, no people walking on the sidewalks, no blinds drawn in the windows, and not a sound of car, pet, play, family, or neighborhood. He gripped the sword hard and stared down the other end of the street before he sheathed it. The dead end across the next block down seemed less an end and moreover just dead. He entered the house and slammed the door, then ran downstairs...

He knew there was something strange going on, indeed, but he didn't know what, much less what to do about it. Impa said this was time not to be wasted, so if he needed to protect Hyrule, let alone himself, he should take her advice. He began practicing the sword techniques Impa had shown him, and eventually moved on to the wooden targets. Zelda had disobeyed Impa and followed him in through the back door, where she had waited while he entered the house. After she watched him through the door window, she unlocked it quietly, and closed it just as silently behind her. She crouched in the shadows of the stairwell and watched Link intently. He seemed incredibly intent and focused.

He swung his sword vertically, horizontally ""Hut, hyia!" Stabbed, cut, slashed. He was working up his breath and breathing faster. Cutting and slashing, two of each. He stabbed, cut, then jumped sideways, slashing diagonally down when he landed, "Hyeah!" Breathing hard, "Hut! Hyia!" Horizontally, vertically, he thrust the sword in the air and stabbed the it thrice: "Sit sat, siahhhh!" as if vanquishing invisible evil.

He huffed, quickly caught his breath, walked over to the mirrors, and opened the closet. Huffed again, this time more like a sigh, wiped sweat from his brow, and entered. Zelda swiftly snuck across the dojo and entered his room, keeping the door ever so faintly cracked open that she could still watch, closer.

Link dragged a large wooden dummy out from the closet and propped it up in the middle of the room. He paced away from it, backwards, staring intently at it. When he stopped, Zelda held her breath. He unconsciously held his too. Staring down the wooden opponent, Link exhaled sharply "Rrhhhhaaaaaaghhh! And leapt into the air and lunged his sword at it, smashing the sword immediately.

Zelda tried to stifle a squeal, and covered her mouth all at once. She felt certain Link would have heard her and dared not peek. She rolled against the wall and pressed as close as possible, tip toeing. They stood motionless together, yet worlds apart... Link was exhausted from chasing and being chased; Zelda stuck in awkward indecision. She silently exhaled all her breath and unconsciously held it out. The door slid open and gently came to rest on her shoulder, elbow, arm. She squinted tight for a moment then fiercely shot her eyes open. Link's back was turned to her and he gently rolled his footsteps toward the bed and flopped down diagonally on it.

Zelda hugged the wall around and out the door as quickly and quietly as possible, then silently ran toward the stairs. She stopped and turned back, darkness concealed the room Link lay in... Though she peered in anyways, hovering indecisively at an event threshold... Then walked quietly up the stairs to the back door, opened and locked it, then hesitated again.

Impa had silently watched from the shadows the entire time and finally stepped into the illusion as Zelda locked and shut the back door. "It's getting late, go survey the park. Link already suspects this is part of the illusions of the Lost Woods, and I will need to hasten his training before we can send him into the forest. Your training _must_ have been sufficient, princess. Be aware, stay alert, I will follow shortly behind after I resecure the house; but, _go now_..!" Zelda darted away, feeling partly ashamed of herself, but mostly content that she now had proof that Link's spirit was so strong, willful, and direct as she suspected... Hoped.

Impa's hands glowed dark and purple, she waved her hand across the sky in an arcing motion and closed her eyes. The world immediately around herself became shadowy and grew rapidly; trees slowly replaced the majority of the homes around them, rocks and terrain contoured the streets instead of asphalt and concrete, and shrubs and grass covered the ground. The house transformed from a cookie-cutter residence to a distinguished two story stone-and-log cabin, the copy-paste neighborhood became an artistic masterpiece of nature. Impa's posture shifted softly through several different positions, as she moved her left hand about with focused intent, allowing her right hand to relax by her side; the left hand emitting shadowy illusions around the house, the right, drawing shadowy energies from the forest around her. A graceful slow motion dance of supreme posture, had she an audience.

She opened her eyes, they were covered with shadow, and all was plain, undistinguished, "cookie-cutter" neighborhood again. She nodded, her eyes shaded, energy drawn away from her hands, blinked, her eyes returned to normal, she turned, and finally made way back to the van - parked around the corner at the end of the block. As she drew away, at the opposite end of the street where the next block began at this block's end, the forest shadows loomed outward, and from their invisible depths peered two pairs of red eyes.

Zelda darted away, feeling partly ashamed of herself, but mostly content that Link's spirit was so strong, willful, and direct. She smiled under her facewrap, convincing herself that she would help Link secure the Triforce and return Hyrule to its natural prosperity, intended by the goddesses.

She returned to the rooftops by jumping from wall to wall in the narrow alley, entering from the illusory edge of Hyruletropolis, and exiting atop a parking garage across the street from the Temple of Time. There was little to no cover, so she had to wait for a large vehicle to pass by, heading south. After several minutes, the perfect opportunity revealed to be a milk truck stopped at the red light. She jumped down, throwing the momentum of her hips into a flip to ease the landing; triangle jump. Her success came to please her, satisfying her personal practice - as Impa has eternally directed.

The low branches of the well aged fir trees of the park made good cover and access for her stealth from the back of the milk-tanker. However, she learned to keep an eye out for the Goron Link, whom has twice nearly caught her changing: Once into her ninja wrap, and once out of it. She climbed the tree several stories, until she could survey the outlying territories without being seen.

Racers and Brawlers appeared to be confronting each other south of the park, they were lined up and poised, but nothing was happening, appearing to be a discussion rather than a fight. One cyan Racer backed off after a moment, and two others rushed to his side. They exchanged looks a few times and turned to leave. The purple Brawler at the center of attention appeared to taunt the departing Racers.

As the crowd dispersed, a large group of Brawlers split off twice into downtown, one group heading deeper, the other group lined the street across from the park. Zelda waited, expecting them to cross, or challenge Goron Link, whom had been observing the same line form across the street from their park.

Goron Link clenched his fists... His stomach growled. He unclenched and gently tugged his stomach. "oohh, I hope they don't want to come over and cause trouble..." He finished his eternal lap around the park and took stop beside the bridge to watch. The entire park and street stood between him and the 8 Brawlers lined across it. Stomach rumbling. They did not move, did not speak to each other: Statues with folded arms, in silly purple outfits. The blue van's brakes squealed softly as it parked behind him. Goron Link's face involuntarily widened with a smile. He heard the door open and shut, waited for the next door, but instead heard nothing, footsteps following the unexpected emptiness.

He turned to inspect the feed, and saw Impa approaching him with something large in her hands. His eyes widened a little as he saw the gray and lumpy object, closer and more detailed, pocked with tiny specks of crystal, possibly... "Stone Turnip?" he uttered barely audible, then cleared his throat "Is that a Stone Turnip?!" he inadvertently shouted with excitement. "Did you bring me a Stone Turnip?" Impa nodded, trying not to smile but failing to hide it, and held the lump of stone out to Goron Link. He grabbed it jealously, and inspected it closely. His smile thundered as he laughed and gnashed at the stone. He gobbled it all down and patted his belly with a huge - _DRUMB - _that echoed across the street! A brawler recoiled as if struck, impressed. His neighbors turned to his shock with scorn, as if scolding.

Impa nodded to the Goron and returned to the van. "Strange..." Goron Link said to himself, "They aren't setting up...?" He felt invigorated by the ultra-health-food for Gorons and intuitively suspected more Brawlers were going to come by soon. He turned to stare across the street fiercely. The same brawler recoiled again. The same neighbors stared him down, again. Goron Link glared "What are you up to?" He said to the Brawlers, out loud to himself. Impa started the van and drove away, prompting Goron Link to notice the approaching Brawlers from behind the bridge!

A sudden click of heels beside him, "what was that?" As he turned to see The Ninja crouched beside him, poised low, wide, and prone. "We're together?" He quietly grumbled, Sheik nodded.


	11. Chapter 9: Unreal Adventure

A husky Brawler with reddish hair and a small beard that covered his mouth, but not his cheeks save for the curly tufts that looked like small swirly whiskers, wore a purple denim vest with the arms deliberately ripped off, flaunting his well toned muscles, came to the forefront of the large group that poured out from under the bridge, his footsteps thudding with a suspicious clank. His Left eye enveloped by a Triforce tattoo, as if to intimidate and suggest his authority. "Y'all're gonna leave early today. The van's gone, and y'know what? Lookit! A lot more of us than you!" He looked around as if he was talking to himself, inspecting his own words. "This is our turf and you're gonna leave. Find some place else to eat." Across the street where the line had formed, more brawlers entered as backups stood in for them, replacing the line. Goron Link looked down at the ninja, as if to follow his lead.

The apparent leader scoffed, interrupting Goron Link's train of thought, "You know, you can go, we wont hit you. Just leave." Goron Link looked to his apparent ally with uncertainty. 'Ninja Zelda'. Sheik, was motionless, statue like. So he grumbled, then laughed "Hha!" looking him in the eye "_You_ want to hit _me_?" The brawler didn't seem to care about the implications and only spoke, "That's two, last chance. The M says y'get three. You're lucky: The M doesn't give _anyone_ more than _one _chance." Goron Link really laughed now. His belly rumbled the ground beneath him, rocking the ninja beside him. "That's great, no worries then! We're good!" The brawler stepped aside and his buddies parted together, forming a path between them, out of the park, under the bridge.

"Oh, what? No, you see, we're not going anywhere. This is our park, you're obviously not in charge, and this, right now, makes _four._ Your move, buddy! What'cha gonna _do_?" The 'do' thundered into him, literally knocking his balance back. The three brawlers he fell into caught and righted him, then ran around him and attacked. The crowd of 21 brawlers poured out from under the bridge and swarmed Goron Link and Sheik - who darted into a triangle jump, up and over their heads, and stomped across the heads of several brawlers; out of the crowd, looking in. (S)he gracefully landed and taunted them. Two fingers beckoning. Goron Link was surrounded, 21 to one, as additional 'backups' ran in from the line across the street to address his ninja partner.  
He swung a mighty fist, knocking one into three and knocking those four into five more, proving that his one Goron punch was the equivalent of nine brawlers - meanwhile getting climbed upon from behind, by six more! "Oh yeah?" He laughed thunderously. "Let's roll!"

The vigilant Goron lurched forward, preparing to fend them off. He was feeling his health-treat wearing off, so instead of reaching around and grabbing them, he suddenly rolled up with instantaneous speed, whipping 4 of the brawlers off his neck and shoulders and using that speed to roll ahead suddenly, very fast, plowing over one grippy Brawler, and launching the other high ahead and into the air. He curved around, skidding and spinning out, throwing dirt and grass out behind him, then caught traction and rolled through, again, into the remaining six, who immediately scattered. He only nicked one in the leg and knocked him over, probably breaking it, as everyone scrambled to dodge. Goron Link immediately unraveled himself with precision and stood defiantly on the man's leg, in the middle of the park. "Leaving so soon? The food hasn't even arrived yet!" he said, lifting his leg up to allow the fearful brawler's instincts to scurry him away like a tiny broken mouse.

Sheik had been rushed from both sides by sixteen brawlers by the time Goron Link had begun rolling after his 9 man punch. Zelda couldn't concentrate, as she prematurely revealed another weapon: She whipped her elastic chain around, tagging a Brawler behind her and cutting through his back, before snapping it downward, ahead, and stunning another one facing her off, by slamming his shoulder on the recoil. Three more brawlers darted into the middle of the fight, three others drew slingshots from afar. Sheik spun downward, in place, kicking two of the dashers, the third hesitating just in time to dodge, accidentally. A rock pegged her thigh, and she fell out of her strike. Another rock pegged the ground right in front of her knee, and she scrambled ahead, dodging additional projectiles, as four more Brawlers brought out more slingshots. She was not focused. She was not yet truly Sheik, Zelda silently and briefly scolded herself, darting over to Goron Link for cover.

Goron Link rolled up to deflect the rock shots and laughed when he realized they were stone "I can eat these!" Opening his mouth wide and snatching a few - half tucked into himself, half untucked, awkwardly balancing himself on a large forearm. Several brawlers switched to exploding bombflower seeds and others tried to flank him and get his ally from behind. Several explosive shots annoyed him enough that he fully curled up around the ninja to protect them both from the shots. They were pinned down.

_The blue van's brakes squealed softly as it parked behind him. Goron Link's face involuntarily widened with a smile. He heard the door open and shut, waited for the next door, but instead heard nothing, footsteps following the unexpected emptiness._

_ He turned to inspect the feed, and saw Impa approaching him with something large in her hands. His eyes widened a little as he saw the gray and lumpy object, closer and more detailed, pocked with tiny specks of crystal, possibly... "Stone Turnip?" he uttered, barely audible, then cleared his throat "Is that a Stone Turnip?!" He inadvertently shouted with excitement. "Did you bring me a Stone Turnip?" Impa nodded, trying not to smile but failing to hide it, and held the lump of stone out to Goron Link. He grabbed it jealously, and inspected it closely. His smile thundered as he laughed and gnashed at the stone. He gobbled it all down and patted his belly with a huge - DRUMB - that echoed across the street! A brawler recoiled as if struck, impressed. His neighbors turned to his shock with scorn, as if scolding.._

_**Impa nodded to the Goron and returned to the van.**_ She watched the line across the street for a moment, then turned to look toward the other side of the bridge. Seeing a much larger group slowly approaching from deeper within downtown, Impa turned over the ignition and drove away quickly. She was worried that even the friendly Goron would get hurt today and while she didn't want to risk hurting the children, she saw no choice: In order to rescue Zelda from the gangs, Link had to face a real challenge _now. _She could only hope Link to be as adept as she and Zelda suspect.

Impa drove over the speed limit the whole 16 blocks back, running at least 2 red lights as she came within the last 5 blocks. The illusion was weakening, her powers waning... The Wolfos brothers stepped out of the forestry shadows, soupy and hazy, mixing in with the modern neighborhood illusion, creating a psychedelic optical illusion of solid smoke walls and floating airy water. Impa halted the car and waited. The two shadowy Wolfos spirits glared at Impa. No movement, they all just stared at each other. Glowing pairs of eyes, meeting the steel gaze. Finally, the Wolfos retreated into the shadows and, the smoke and water faded, leaving a clear, crisp, satisfactorily realistic-looking modern-neighborhood illusion.  
Impa jumped out of the van and ran to the house. Her youthful agility betraying her elderly visage; white hair, liver spots, wrinkles, curved back, and all, jolting and hurtling across the street at a long angle. She skipped the front door and crashed through the back, prompting a napping boy to full alert.

Down the basement stairs, and straight into the dojo in a flash; Link was barely out of his room, startled, and now frantically looking for the sword he broke, as proof he could. Impa saw his panic and hesitated, briefly worried about him. "Get a sturdy sword and shield, boy." She said, folding her arms.

* * *

**_*Perspective Shift*_**

* * *

Link clambered through the closet and grabbed the sword and shield. While he did, Impa retreated to the foot of the stairs. When Link emerged she beckoned, then quickly ascended and vacated through the back door, Waiting again, arms folded. Link followed, and once out of the house, he noticed the skies were forest canopy with shady slats of light pouring between Deku branches, while betraying the environment of residential homes and streets. He stopped, gazing at the sky, but Impa urged him along "We must get downtown immediately, the park is being attacked. Your friends need your help!" She said with haste, cringing silently as she said "friends", thinking she possibly gave away Zelda's identity.

Link's thoughts were gone, his eyes became narrowed and focused, his spirit surged. He would protect his friends; he nodded, as he entered the van with solemn intent. Impa looked over at him, curious. His demeanor had instantly changed. She couldn't even see an iota of the former caution and panic he displayed in the basement. What had changed? She wondered.

Impa turned the final corner with the bridges in view, the park just south of there, out of view. ticking and hollow echos could be heard, from the distant weak power of bombflower seeds. Impa pulled beside the bridge intersection but didn't park, several exploding shots could be heard popping near by. "Your shield will break! Be careful, Link!" She called out after him as he ran from the van, along the highway ramp, around toward the first bridge. Another pop and a louder bang, small explosions were crackling and popping, a few seemed bigger and let cry with a loud BANG!

Link rolled aside quickly, that one was right by his foot! "That's a warning shot, kid! Private party." Link didnt bother listening to more, he saw the purple sweatshirt with a slingshot aimed at him, and dashed full speed. That wasnt expected, and the Brawler fumbled for his next shot, dropping it. It exploded under foot as he loaded a seed and drew the sling back. Link had cleared more than half the 4 yard gap by the time he'd fumbled for the reload. When he fired his successful shot he was already knocked out as Link had already bashed the hilt of his wooden sword into the punk's solar plexus as he missed firing - over Link's shoulder. Another loud bang, and he startled back.

As Link stepped from under the overpass, up the curving pedestrian path, he exposed himself to 3 more Brawler guards positioned along the path and bridge. Link barely jumped back in time to dodge the next shot fired. Had he not startled, it would have hurt. The next two Brawlers up the path came charging. One of them fired a seed near Link, the other was unarmed and barreled forward, arm cocked.  
Link raised his shield and blocked the first punch, skidding back with the impact. He jumped to his left, right into the line of fire, and saw a slingshot drawn on him. He panicked and crouched, bracing his shield over himself.

A heavy BRAMKRAKLE as the seed smashed into his shield, exploding; bringing it within threshold of shattering. The wood cracked and splintered in several directions, making a web or tiny crags in the wood. It smoked and singed, but remained barely intact. He bolted around the heavy fisted Brawler and charged the slingshot with his sword. Dashing as fast as possible, he slashed at the Brawlers hand, breaking his grip and possibly a finger or two. "Aaaieouch!" He dropped the broken slingshot and his arm with broken hand and looked menacingly at Link, tears in his eyes, other hand balled in a fist. Link quickly struck again with his hilt, and knocked the brawler behind him out, as the tearful Brawler ran past him, leaving the fight.

Rather than follow the trail of Brawlers up the path, Link dashed across the street and under the overpass on the other side. Shots were fired at him from behind as he cleared the gap between highway bridges, where Brawlers armed with slingshots were lining the path! He used up his energy to give one last speedy dash ahead and under the safety of the next bridge, out of sight. He was running out of breath but not quite winded.  
Link dashed around the corner, out from under the concrete-and-rebar bridge, finally catching sight of Brawlers launching explosive shots from slings into a... large boulder...? Link's adrenaline rush deflated and his arms sagged a little. He huffed and tried to catch his breath. Bowing his head in confusion, a small surge of adrenaline hit and he looked up, searching for the friendly patrol!

"Hold your fire! That Goron isn't even phased..." A tiny surge, the adrenaline wasn't gone yet; flickering. "Come on out! We said we'll let you leave, you know, but you had to stick around. Why'd ya have to stick around? You shouldn't have done that." Adrenals flared again, however: Link stood poised but seemingly motionless. He inhaled slowly, evenly, eyes narrowed, cross.  
"Tell ya what, _Goron_. We just want you. You can let your friend out. We all promise not to shoot the ninja." He said, looking around and winking. "Isn't that right guys?" a couple laughed, a couple cheered, but the tattooed brawler with red hair ignored them and continued "All you gotta do... is stand up... and let us take you... back to the _river_ with us!" This time it was Goron Link who got the rush, and he whispered to his partner "Hold on tight, this is going to get cramped." He lifted his head back and peeked out briefly. The brawlers were all aimed on him, and there was a good chance they'd all shoot if he took that liar for his word! That was enough to enrage him, he tucked his head back in, extended a leg behind him, kicked off and tucked it back in. He was rolling again, carrying precious cargo.

"WHAT!? Get them!" The Brawler called out. Link had seen enough and charged in. "Yaaaaaaah!" He ran in, rushing with his sword in front of him, prepared to stab, but foolishly alerting his opponent, giving up the element of surprise. The target muttered "What's this?" as that husky brawler turned to face Link. He sloppily shifted his weight aside to barely dodge Link's rushing stab, but effortlessly never the less. Link toppled over himself and skidded on his stomach to a halt.  
Goron Link had rolled around and halted beside Link, while Link brushed himself off. As he unrolled, Sheik tumbled out, unconscious. "He'll be find, kid. Just too dizzy to handle a Goron roll! Ha, HAH!" Goron Link laughed with pride, following with "Let's flatten these hoodlums!" Link nodded deliberately.

The Brawler "in charge" was panicked and his mind raced for a moment. "Wait, wait! Wait, wait wait-wait..! Obviously... we cant take you on with our slingshots and bombflowerseeds... maybe we cant even take you on by climbing all over you." Goron Link rolled his eyes and huffed, "But...!" The brawler continued, "I challenge you to an honorable fight. One on one." Goron Link laughed, "Did I roll over your head by accident or something? You should leave now before you get hurt."

The Brawler was adamant and indignant "If you can beat me, we'll take off. Leave. Not another word, gone. You wont have to fight all of us, just me. Think about it. One one one." Link shook his head, but Goron Link considered it their best bet, barely noticing Link's advice. "Deal. You fight me in a traditional Goron Wrestling match. We'll use the sand box for an arena. Last man standing or still in the sand box, ring, wins."

The Brawler agreed to his terms and smiled, sly and wicked. He bent over and checked his shoes a moment before entering the "ring". "What's the matter? Scared you'll trip over your shoe laces?" Goron Link taunted, scratching one leg with the gnarly toenails of the other foot. The Brawler just maintained his wicked grin. He stared at Goron Link as he entered the ring, locked eyes as he took his position. They stood face to face, prepared to engage. Goron Link raised a foot and stomped the ground, knocking the Brawler off his balance, but not down. The Brawler copied his opponent and stomped with a heavy *CLANK*.

Zelda stirred and grabbed her head nauseously. Link watched the match with focus and hidden excitement. Zelda's perspective was low, but unlike everyone else, she had a direct perspective of their feet. Goron Link's stone-rough, wild, unkempt, and lumpy feet looked like mallets, but the boots his opponent wore were encased with thick iron plates! Goron Link stepped forward with a stomp and grappled with his opponent.

The advantage was sorely in the cheating Brawler's favor but not because the Brawler wore boots of iron, as Goron Link was not only malnourished, underfed, and underweight; he was also inexperienced in traditional Goron Wrestling! Goron Link grappled futilely as the Brawler consistently broke his holds and stepped away from his attempts. In a circle left, two fails. In a circle right, three fails. Left or right? "What's the matter? Am I too _Goron_ for you to handle?" The Brawler laughed, along with his buddies. Goron Link's eyes flared open and he made another grapple attempt, this time tucking into an immediate roll, flattening the brawler outright, burying him in his own body's depth-worth into the sand.

The blow not only knocked the Brawler over, but it knocked him out of his boots! Goron Link started to laugh, raising his hands together in a clasp to cheer, but from the corner of his eye noticed a giant figure approaching the park from the intersection, and he was following two trident wielding Moblins. Goron Link - more or less instinctively - tucked up and rolled under the bridge as fast as he could. Zelda sat up and looked around. Link approached the boots, but felt a tug on his wrist. He turned to see the ninja staring in his eyes. He backed up, drawing his sword, but saw the Moblins and a giant Cyclops; and backed into the fallen Brawler, tripping into another, who shouted "Moblins!" And everyone ran except Link and the dazed Brawler in the ground. Zelda dashed away in the confusion, around to the van, and changed as fast as she could, once inside.

Link was stunned, the gigantic monsters approaching him left him nearly paralyzed, his wooden sword and shield: as though mere toys, not worth the effort to so much as block a strike... he felt pathetic and worthless. They thundered closer, a pair of 7 foot tall stacks of fatty muscle and gristly sweat carried huge 3 pronged staves and ugly frowns, leading a gargantuan one eyed, vacant looking, hulking, half naked, 9 foot tall monster. Zelda ran to the edge of the park and called out "_**Link!**_" He snapped out of it! He scrambled to his feet, leaving the wooden toys behind, and ran over to Zelda as fast as he could, but as soon as he got close, he slowed and looked back.

The Brawler was barely able to sit up and realize what was going on, looked around, confused. The ground vibrating with each heavy thudding step of the cyclops. "Where'd everyone go?" He asked out loud, sitting up from his shallow indent. Chrthud. He rubbed his head, turning to the nightmarish visage of 3 of Ganon's loyal monsters bearing down on him. Chrthud. His eyes widened as he screamed out with terror "Ooh... NOOOOO! PLEASE! NOOO! _DONT HURT ME!_" As the giant reached down and grabbed the pair of boots, and the Moblins pushed forward, toward the south. The giant followed them shortly after, none of them bothering to even acknowledge anyone that didn't get in their way, let alone the traumatized Purple Brawler cowering in tears on his knees.

Zelda tugged urgently on Link's hand, and he left with her and Impa.

* * *

**Chapter IX: Unreal Adventure**

* * *

_Wait, what? __**now **__we finally get an adventure, but it's still unreal?  
I'm getting sick of this 'unreal' and 'misadventure' stuff. you know, I've read ahead, and i can tell you:_  
_The Forest Temple is a lie! Its a trick! A trap! We wont get to see it in a long time ( }_**:| **_) But it's honestly totally worth it._

* * *

When Impa was within half a block of the neighborhood, she pulled to the side and parked the car in front of a commercial building. Her illusion was wearing off and there was nothing left she could do. "Zelda, Link." She initiated solemnly. "I am indebted to brothers whom have lent me their home for the past 13 years to nurture, raise, guide, train, and prepare the young princess. There are workings in this world that are directly affecting your lives which you've never known or been prepared to know. You can no longer afford not to know, but you are not ready to learn right away, so to prepare you, I must reveal the first lie..." Zelda recoiled, "Lie? wait... What do you mean,_ first_?"

Impa sighed heavily "I am much too old to be the last of the Sheikah... My domain of the shadow has been the only source of my own life... but during times of darkness, in the world of light, I have had to compromise my own domain, over and over, until now... Only a fraction of the Lost Woods remains connected to the Shadow Realm... ... everything else, I have had to... ... ... share... with Ganon's minions. For I alone am no match for them, but there remains much yet for me to leave to this world before I can be free to leave it." Zelda gasped, and wanted to move in to console her attendant, instructor, teacher, and long time friend, but Impa stepped out of the van, beckoning.

"Young miss, I must ask that you refrain from indulging in sorrow or fear, for these** brothers, **whom I've owed our home and school, have a habit of getting excited when they think someone is scared. I assure you, my friends are good and loyal, and will mean you no harm." Impa explained while Link and Zelda left the van after her. "Although Link, your training in the sword is insufficient, and I must oversee your improvements post haste. When we walk to the house, you will notice the illusions are gone, and the neighborhood was, in fact, fake. The important thing that you children are to be understood:" Impa became very solemn and serious, "This section of the lost woods was once connected with underground catacombs which lead throughout the royal townships of Hyrule castle market and Kakariko village, and was a lost nation of Wolfos tribes' burial grounds. The wayward spirits of the Wolfos live on as shadows of their former selves, seeking solace in their descendants, whom are disappearing at an alarming rate. Their numbers have shrunk from once proud tribal nations to just a few hundred individuals left in the world. Two brothers had roamed into the lost woods many years ago and took up residence here with me. We've helped each other out for the longest time until..." Impa stopped abruptly, and eyed Link. "Until the Second Lie... but all in due time, children." she trailed off nonchalantly, and rounded the corner, into a large haphazard block of forest, right in the middle of Hyruletropolis.

"No, you cant stop there!" Zelda persisted as they approached a log cabin with eerie similarity to Saria's and Krystal's home... "You've brought out that much, you have to tell us the rest." She said, adamantly. Impa ignored her and stopped some thirteen yards from the house. "I am sorry, Princess, but as I said, all in due time." she said, talking at her, rather than to her, still focused straight ahead of herself.

Zelda closed her eyes "So that's it, "_Princess_" Zelda, huh..?" and a tear started to fall, oblivious to the world as the world, but Zelda, was to it, as she wiped it away, silently. "I don't like it," she said, calmly, but trailed off. Link had followed behind the group and moved forward to Zelda's side, between her and Impa, wanting to see what Impa was focusing on. Zelda cautiously touched her fingers to his, and he took her hand.


End file.
